Connected by Music
by Ven Hardy
Summary: Roxas and Naminé are completely different from each other. But they both love music, and this is the only "line" which connects the two of them. Namixas, SoKai, Rion, Ven-Terra-Aqua... A bit of a songfic
1. Chapter One: Going to School

Well, this is my very first fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its characters.

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_**CHAPTER ONE: GOING TO SCHOOL**_

It was morning. Roxas was still deep in sleep. He finally woke up with a groan. He picked up the alarm clock beside his desk and read the time. It's 6:05 A.M. He put the alarm clock back on his desk and went back to sleep. Then his blue eyes opened wide and he sat up, grabbing the alarm clock to look at the time again. He put it back on the desk with shock on his face. "The alarm didn't go off, again!" he exclaimed. He grabbed his towel and dashed for the bathroom. Roxas is a really fast runner, so it will only take him three seconds to reach his room's bathroom. He took a bath quickly, got dressed up, and combed his golden brown hair in his usual spiky hairstyle.

Roxas quickly went downstairs and found his mother, Mrs. Elliots, in the kitchen, making some hot chocolate, and, sitting and waiting in the dining room, was a boy who looked a lot like Roxas, but he's a couple of inches taller than him and a year older than Roxas. He is Ven (as his friends call him), Roxas' sixteen-year-old brother. Like Roxas, he also wears a spiky hairstyle.

Ven and Mrs. Elliots saw Roxas enter. "Good morning, Roxas," their mother said, smiling at her youngest son. Ven waved at his brother.

"Looks like you've finally woken up," Ven joked, smirking. He loves playing jokes on his younger brother.

"Morning, Mom. Good morning, bro," Roxas said, ignoring his brother's joke. He sat down beside Ven's seat. "Boy, I can't believe the alarm didn't go off."

"No, it didn't," Ven said, crossing his arms as he leaned his back on the backrest of his seat. "When I passed your room, I heard it ring."

Roxas turned to look at him. "Then, why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, annoyed. "Wait a sec." He thought for a while. "Maybe it's one of your pranks again."

Ven sat up straight. "What?" he said in surprise. "Of course not!"

Mrs. Elliots finally entered the scene. "That's enough, you two," she said, putting down the mugs of hot chocolate on the table. "Roxas, you should respect your elder brother. And Ventus, stop playing pranks on him."

"But, Mom," Ven protested. "I've already told you. I didn't do it. Plus, why do you have to call me by that name?"

"Please, Ven," their mother said in a pleading tone.

Ven sighed. "Alright, alright," he said. He turned to Roxas. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you up." He turned back to Mrs. Elliots. "But I'm telling you, Mom. I didn't play a prank on him."

"Enough, now," Mrs. Elliots said. "Let's forget about it since it already happened. You'd better drink your hot chocolate before it becomes cold chocolate."

Roxas and Ven took their mugs and began drinking. Mrs. Elliots brought some bread, spread it with cheese spread, and gave it to her sons. The two brothers thanked their mother and ate their bread. Mrs. Elliots took her own mug of hot chocolate, sat down with her sons, and started drinking. "So," she began. "Do you have a lot of things to do at school today?"

"We're not yet sure, Mom," Ven said, swallowing. "But I know that the Music Club members don't have a practice or meeting today. So, I'll be home early."

Ven is a member of Destiny Islands High School's Music Club. He's not just a member of the club, but he's also its most talented member. Together with his friends, Aqua and Terra, they form the "Trinity" of the Music Club, its top three most talented members. Being the highest, Ven is called "Mickey", Aqua is "Donald", and Terra is "Goofy".

"Well," Roxas started. "Sora, Riku, and I had already finished our group project, so I don't think I'll be home late today."

Mrs. Elliots nodded in understanding. Ven finally finished eating. He stood up. "Thanks for the meal," he said out loud. He got his mug, poured some water in it, and drank. He hurried to the kitchen to brush his teeth.

"Looks like your brother's in a hurry, again," Mrs. Elliots said, drinking some chocolate while observing her son.

"He's always like that, Mom," Roxas said, finished in drinking his chocolate. He stood up. "Well, thanks for the meal." Like his brother, he drank some water and went to the kitchen to brush his teeth as well.

Ven, who already finished brushing when Roxas came in, went to the living room to get his bag. "You'd better hurry up, Roxas," he called to his brother while walking. "Or else I'll leave you."

"Alright, alright," Roxas said, applying some toothpaste on his toothbrush. He brushed his teeth quickly and went to the living room. As he gets his bag, Mrs. Elliots went out of the dining room and followed her sons to the door.

"I forgot to tell you something," she said as Ven opened the door. "Your father called last night and he told me he'll come home next week."

The two boys looked surprised and delighted to hear this. "Really?" Roxas exclaimed as he and Ven exchanged smiles. They looked back to their mother. "That's good to hear."

Their father, Mr. Elliots, worked as an illustrator and cartoonist in a publishing company in Twilight Town. Every week he goes home to Destiny Islands because he's really busy with his work.

Mrs. Elliots smiled back to them and nodded. "I know it is," she said.

"Well, Mom. We gotta go," Ven said, kissing his mother on the cheek. "We'll see you later."

Roxas also kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, Mom!" he said, waving at her as he began to walk away.

Mrs. Elliots waved at her sons. "Be careful!" she called to them.

Ven waved back at her as he and Roxas walked. "We will, Mom!" he called back, lowering his hand.

Mrs. Elliots lowered her hand and watched her sons go. "They're such sweet boys," she said as she closed the door. "They're really like their father."

As the two boys started their five-minute walk to Destiny Islands High School, Roxas turned to his elder brother. "Why are you always in a hurry, anyway?" he asked him.

"Well…" Ven said, looking up and thinking for an answer. "Terra, Aqua, and I usually sing songs while waiting for the teacher. And we also think of suggestions for the Music Club."

"Is that really all?" Roxas joked, smiling at his brother.

"Yes, it is," Ven said, annoyed. His blue eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh yeah, I just remembered something." He smirked at his younger brother. "You'd better watch out for an announcement later. It's from the Music Club."

"Really?" Roxas exclaimed. "What it is?"

"I can't tell you. That why I said you'd better watch out for it, right?"

"Come on, tell me. I'm your brother, after all."

"I said I can't. That's why it's called an announcement. You should have joined the Music Club so you'll know about it."

Roxas seemed to be surprised at what Ven said. He remained silent and sadly looked away from him.

Ven noticed Roxas' reaction. He sighed and looked forward. After a short silence, he finally spoke up. "You know what?" he told Roxas. "This question's been bothering me for a very long time." He looked at him. "Why didn't you join the Music Club, Roxas?"

Roxas was surprised when he heard what Ven said, but he turned to look at him with confusion on his face. "What?" he asked.

When he turned to him, he saw the serious expression on Ven's face. "You heard me," he told Roxas in a serious tone.

Roxas thought for a while. "It's because I like English better than Music," he said after a few seconds. He and his friends, Sora and Riku, are members of the English Club.

"You're lying." Ven said, surprising Roxas even more. Ven sighed before he continued. "You're a great singer, you can play a lot of musical instruments, and you can even compose music. And you don't call _that_ a music lover? Listen, Roxas. I'm your brother, so I know that you love music as much as I do. Now, tell me the _real_ reason why you didn't join the Music Club."

Roxas looked away. "Well…" he hesitated. "I, um…"

Ven watched him with disappointment on his face. "Can't you really tell me?" he asked, obviously upset of his brother.

Roxas didn't give him an answer. Ven sighed. The two remained silent for the rest of the walk.

* * *

That's the end of Chapter 1. Nothing really big happened here, just Roxas and Ven having a conflict. What do you think is the reason why Roxas didn't join the Music Club? Sorry about the grammatical error. I'm not very good in English. I hope you enjoyed reading this!


	2. Chapter Two: A Mysterious Voice

I'm SO sorry for the late update. We got some Internet connection problems, I got to review for the exams, I have a lot of schoolwork to do, and I got sick for four days, so I don't have time to type this chapter or go to the Internet shop. I'm also working on Chapter Three.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it. I was really nervous because I thought I'll receive some negative reviews.

In this chapter, you'll finally know why Roxas didn't join the Music Club. Hooray! :)

Well, sorry for the long author's note. I hope you'll enjoy reading this!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, and the song used in this chapter.

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_**CHAPTER TWO: A MYSTERIOUS VOICE**_

The two brothers finally arrived at school. A lot of students were at the school grounds. Some were chatting, and some were waiting for their other friends at the school gate.

Roxas really wanted to break the tension between him and Ven. He finally felt relieved when he saw Sora and Riku waiting for him near the guardhouse. "Well," he finally said after the long silence between him and his brother. "Looks like Sora and Riku are waiting for me. I'll see you later!" he waved at his brother as he walked towards his friends.

"Right," Ven said with a tone of disappointment in his voice. "See you." He watched his brother go to his friends.

Ven's friends, Terra and Aqua, were sitting at the waiting shed near the school gate. When they saw Ven, they stood up and walked towards him. Ven continued to watch Roxas.

"Hey, Ven," Terra said, putting a hand on Ven's shoulder. "How's your morning?"

Ven didn't budge or look at his friends.

Aqua saw the disappointment on his face. "Is there something wrong?" she said, concerned. "Do you have a problem?"

"Roxas…" Ven finally said, more to himself than to his friends. "I really wonder why he didn't join the Music Club."

Aqua gave Terra a worried look. Terra returned the same look to his girlfriend. They both looked back to their troubled friend. "Let's talk about it in the classroom," Aqua said, putting a hand on Ven's other shoulder as they started heading towards their classroom.

As Ven, Terra, and Aqua started to head towards their classroom, Roxas and his friends walked to their classroom, too. They were talking about Sora's silent yet smart cousin, Naminé. "Man," Sora said. "You don't know how proud I am to have a cousin like her."

Riku laughed. "Oh, come on, Sora," he told him. "You're just saying that because she's helping you in the subject where you really suck."

"Oh yeah?" Sora exclaimed, annoyed. "I don't remember that I suck in any subject."

"Well, you suck in Math."

"No, I don't!"

While the two friends were arguing, Roxas turned his head to see if Ven was still there. He saw him look back at him with disappointment on his face.

Roxas quickly turned away to avoid Ven's gaze. Riku noticed this. He looked from Ven to Roxas while Sora continued to complain to him. "Did you and your brother have a conflict?" he asked Roxas.

Roxas was not even surprised at what Riku said. He knew his friend's a really good observer. "Actually, yeah," he said, looking forward as they walk.

Sora, who was still complaining to Riku, stopped when he heard this. "Really?" he asked, looking at Roxas. "What was it about?"

"It's about why I didn't join the Music Club."

Sora and Riku were shocked to hear this. "Are you serious?" they both exclaimed.

Roxas nodded. He looked down and sighed. "I can't believe that all this time he's been wondering about it," he said. "All this time, he's pretending that it's nothing to him."

"What reason did you gave him?" Riku asked.

"I told him I like English better than Music. But he knew I was lying."

"Wow," Riku said, amazed. "Your brother really has a strong sense of intuition. My brother told me about him." Like Roxas, Riku's also a musician. His elder brother is Terra.

Roxas nodded in agreement. "You can say that again," he said.

"Why don't you just tell him the _real_ reason?" Sora told Roxas.

"I can't tell my big brother that I didn't join the club because of _him_," Roxas said as he looked at Sora, a bit annoyed. "I don't want him to ask me more questions"

"Alright, alright," Sora said, waving his hands frantically to calm his friend down. "Don't be mad. Relax."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside their classroom, there were still a few students inside. Some were chatting, and some were doing something else (like their homework!).

Naminé sat on one of the seats in the third row, tapping her pen on her open notebook and thinking very hard. Beside her sat Kairi, her best friend.

Naminé began writing, concentrating really hard on what she's doing. After a long silence, Kairi finally spoke up. "Um…Naminé," she said.

"Yes?" Naminé asked, glancing at Kairi as she adjusted her eyeglasses and continued writing.

Kairi looked around to see if someone is listening. When she didn't see anyone, she looked back at Naminé. "Did you ever like someone?" she asked.

Naminé stopped writing and looked up to her red-haired friend. "Excuse me?" she asked, making sure if she heard right. "What did you just said?"

Kairi looked around again. She leaned towards Naminé to whisper something in her ear. "Did you ever like someone?" she repeated her question. She finally straightened, waiting for Naminé's answer.

Naminé looked at her best friend with a mixture of surprise and disbelief on her face. Kairi just gazed at her, expectantly. Naminé finally sighed and continued writing. "You know I don't have time for things like that, Kairi," she said as she stops and looks up at the ceiling, thinking on what she's going to write. "I'm more focused on my studies. It's my very first priority." She shifted her blue eyes to Kairi. "Why? Do you already like someone?"

Kairi bit her lower lip, hesitating. After a few seconds of silence, she finally sighed and nodded.

Naminé couldn't help but gape at her. "Really?" she exclaimed. "Who is he?"

When Kairi was about to tell her, she stopped when Roxas, Sora, and Riku entered. Kairi's blue eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh!" she whispered. "There he is!"

Naminé stared at her, confused. She finally looked at the three boys who entered as they walk towards their seats. "Gee, Roxas," she heard Sora say as they sat behind Kairi and Naminé. "It really looks like a big problem. You really don't know if you'll tell him about it or not."

Roxas just nodded, still affected about everything that happened that morning.

As Naminé looked back to Kairi, she saw her watching the boys and blushing as Sora talked to his troubled friend. Naminé giggled as she began writing once again. "It's my cousin, isn't it?"

Kairi shook her head and blinked a few times as she recovered from her trance. She looked at Naminé. "What?"

Naminé smiled as she wrote. "The boy you like," she said. "It's Sora, right?"

Kairi sighed and nodded. "Is it obvious?" she asked.

"Not really."

Kairi smiled as she opened the textbook on her armchair. "You really are my best friend." She looked at her friend's notebook. "Hey, are you really sure you don't want me to see what you're writing?"

Naminé nodded. "It's really a secret," she said. "And a surprise."

"Okay," Kairi said. "You know me. I really like surprises coming from you."

While the two girls laughed, Roxas was thinking of a way to change the subject. "Can we just stop talking about what happened to me this morning?" he asked, becoming a bit annoyed. "It's making me feel _worse_."

"Oh," Riku said. "Sorry about that. We're just thinking how to make you feel better."

Roxas smiled. "Thanks, guys," he told them.

"Sure, don't mention it," Sora said. After a few seconds, he suddenly exclaimed, making his two friends jump in surprise. "Hey, I know! Why don't you just sing a song, Roxas?"

"Yeah, he's right," Riku said. "You always feel better when you sing, right?"

Roxas nodded. Singing made him feel relaxed when he's really stressed out or he's feeling down. _Maybe I _will _feel better when I sing now,_ he thought.

"But, what will he sing?" Riku asked.

"Hmm…" Sora said, thinking for a while. "How about 'Friend of Mine'?"

Roxas smiled. "Friend of Mine" was one of his favorite songs. _Sora really knows how to brighten things up,_ he told himself.

"That's a great idea, Sora," Riku said as he smirked at Roxas. "Maybe Roxas will feel better if he'll sing his song for his childhood crush."

"Whoa, whoa," Roxas exclaimed, absent-mindedly putting his hand in one of his pockets. "You mean _former_ childhood crush."

"Is it really a former childhood crush?" Riku teased as Roxas pulled something out of his pocket. When Roxas completely had it out, Riku pointed at it. "Then how come you still have the lucky charm she gave you?"

Roxas looked at the star-shaped charm in his hand. It's a gift from his classmate in second grade. He always cherished it, especially when the girl who gave it to him moved to another town. He looked at Riku. "Of course I still have it," he reacted. "This charm had been given to me by one of my friends. I'm still gonna cherish it no matter what happens."

Sora smirked as well. "Is that really all?" he teased.

Roxas rolled his eyes as he returned the lucky charm in his pocket and leaned forward to get his guitar. He stopped when he saw that it wasn't there. "Of course," he said as he straightened when he remembered something. "Bro left it at their classroom." He grew silent once again as he remembered his conflict with Ven that morning.

Riku noticed Roxas' silence. He knew that his friend remembered about the event that morning. "Why don't we just borrow Hayner's?" he suggested. He looked at the other side of the classroom. "Hayner!"

Hayner, who was talking to his friends, Pence and Olette, looked at Riku. "What?" he called back to him.

"Can we borrow your guitar?"

"Sure. It's over there." Hayner pointed at the guitar case on the empty seat beside Kairi.

"I'll get it," Sora volunteered. He stood up and walked past Naminé's and Kairi's seats. Naminé knew that her friend was blushing. She smiled.

As Sora went back to his friends, he waved at the two girls. "Hi, Kairi," he greeted. "Hi, cousin."

Kairi bashfully waved back to him while Naminé smiled at Sora. When Sora's finally out of sight, Kairi held Naminé's right arm and began shaking it. Naminé giggled.

Sora handed the guitar case to Roxas. "Thanks," Roxas said as he took it from him. He took out the guitar from the case and got out a pick from his pocket.

"That's weird," Sora remarked as Roxas got into his playing position. "You don't have a guitar, but you have a pick."

"Boy Scout?" Riku joked as Sora laughed and gave him a high-five.

Roxas laughed at his joke. He placed his fingers on the frets and looked around. He knew that everyone will stop whatever their doing and watch him play and sing. He was, after all, the most talented in music among all his classmates.

He was right. Everyone in the classroom except Naminé stopped everything their doing and turned their attention to him. He saw Naminé, who was sitting on front of him, stopped writing. He knew that she's going to listen to him as well, even though she's not looking at him. She never talked to anyone, except Kairi and Sora. Roxas really wanted her to become his friend. He really admired her smartness. He always had the feeling that he met her before. Even thought she's not talking to him, it made him happy that she's still listening at his singing.

Roxas looked at Sora and Riku. They both nodded at him. With this signal, he began playing and singing.

_I've known you for so long you are a friend of mine_

_But babe, is this all we'd ever be_

_I've loved you ever since you were a friend of mine_

_But babe, is this all we ever could be_

He suddenly heard a voice singing with him.

_You tell me things I've never known_

_You showed me love you've never shown_

_But then again when you cry_

_I'm always at your side_

_You tell 'bout the love you've had_

_I listen very eagerly_

_But deep inside you'll never see_

_This feeling of emptiness _

_It makes me feel sad_

_But then again_

_I'm glad_

As Roxas continued singing and playing, everyone watched him, even the newly arrived ones. He can still hear the voice singing with him, and he was sure that it's a girl's.

_I've known you all my life you are a friend of mine_

_I know this is how it's gonna be_

_I've loved you then and I love you still you're a friend of mine_

_I know that friends are all we ever could be_

_You tell me things I've never known_

_You showed me love you've never shown_

_But then again when you cry_

_I'm always at your side_

_You tell 'bout the love you've had_

_I listen very eagerly_

_But deep inside you'll never see_

_This feeling of emptiness _

_It makes me feel sad_

_But then again_

_I'm glad_

Roxas listened as he and the mysterious voice sang together. He looked around the classroom, expecting to see the source of the voice, but he didn't found anyone.

_You tell me things I've never known_

_You showed me love you've never shown_

_But then again when you cry_

_I'm always at your side_

_You tell 'bout the love you've had_

_I listen very eagerly_

_But deep inside you'll never see_

_This feeling of emptiness _

_It makes me feel sad_

_But then again_

_But then again_

_But then again_

_I'm glad_

When Roxas finished singing and playing, everyone clapped their hands, including Naminé, who finally looked behind her with a smile on her face. Roxas thanked her by nodding at her. Kairi looked from Naminé to Roxas. She smiled at Naminé. Roxas continued to look around him, still searching for the owner of the mysterious voice. He finally gave up his search.

When the clapping stopped, Sora and Riku helped Roxas in returning the guitar to its case. Riku placed it on Hayner's seat.

Roxas waited patiently for his friends to tell them about the voice. Sora and Riku sat beside him. Before he could say something, Sora was the first one to speak. "Are you feeling alright now?" he asked.

"Yeah," Roxas said. "Thanks a lot."

They both smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. Roxas took a deep breath before starting. "Guys?" he began. "Did you hear another voice while I'm singing?"

Sora and Riku exchanged confused looks. "No, we didn't," Riku said as they looked back to Roxas. "Why did you ask?"

"Okay," Roxas said. "I know this sounds crazy, but I heard someone singing with me, and I think it's a girl."

He didn't notice that Naminé stopped writing when she heard what he said. Kairi noticed this. She looked up to her friend and saw the surprise look on her face.

"We didn't hear anyone singing with you," Sora said. He stopped for a while and suddenly exclaimed, once again making his friends jump in surprise. "Oh, no! Does that mean our school is haunted?"

Everyone inside the classroom looked at him. He suddenly covered his mouth, realizing his mistake. "Sorry," he said, holding out a peace sign to everyone. "I'm just joking."

Kairi giggled at this. When everyone went back in doing their own business, Sora turned to Roxas. "Seriously, Roxas," he said. "You really heard a voice singing with you?"

When Roxas nodded, Riku spoke up. "Then," he began. "How come we didn't hear anything? You're the only one that we heard. There's no other voice."

"I don't know," Roxas said as he looked outside the window. He glanced at Sora and Riku, and then looked back outside. "But, you know what, guys?"

Sora and Riku watched their blond friend, waiting for him to say more. "When I heard our voices singing together," Roxas said. "I really think our voices blended harmoniously. We can make a great combination in singing."

Naminé, who was secretly listening to the conversation, finally turned her head to look at Roxas. Roxas noticed this and looked at her. She instantly looked away and wrote in her notebook again. Roxas watched her for a long time, thinking about the mysterious voice at the same time.

* * *

**Song used in this chapter: **Friend of Mine

Well, that's the end of Chapter Two. I typed it as fast as I could so I can update quickly. Now you know that Roxas didn't join the Music Club because of Ven. In one of the next chapters, you'll know why it's Ven. I guess you already have an idea who Roxas' childhood friend is and who owns the mysterious voice. I left a lot of clues in this chapter, so I hope you'll discover who it is.

I also had a hard time on the song part. I can't think of a song that's good for male and female voices. My first thought is "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins, but I think it sounds wrong. I also thought of "How Did You Know", but I think it's too short. So, I had no choice but "Friend of Mine". (I'm not very updated in songs, so these are a bit old.)

Once again, I'm sorry about the long author's note and the grammatical errors. Please review (I'm gonna be nervous, again!). I hope you enjoyed reading this!


	3. Chapter Three: A New Classmate

YAY! After a month of having writer's block, a month of having lots of school work to do, and a few days of enjoying because of playing "Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure" (=P), I finally finished writing and typing Chapter Three. I'm really sorry for waiting for a veeery long time, everyone. I didn't have any idea why I had writer's block all of a sudden.

First of all, I would like to thank keariel, XxThe-Nobodies-RulexX, A Midsummer Night's Dream, mastercris (my beloved sister =P), xXChosenHeartlessByHeartXx, mayaisnumber1, midnight-heart, Alianna and Patrick (my classmates =P), YumeKageHighSummoner, and anonymous reviewer Enigmatic Soldier for reviewing, my family and friends who encouraged me to do my best during the times when I had writer's block, and everyone who are reading this story for encouraging me to continue writing this. Thank you very much, everyone! =P

Well, let's start! I hope you'll enjoy reading this!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, their characters, and the songs used in this chapter.

* * *

_**CHAPTER THREE: A NEW CLASSMATE**_

The classes started at exactly 7:00 A.M. A teacher with a long, braided, golden brown hair and hazel-colored eyes entered the classroom. Everyone became silent. The woman put the books and red plastic envelope she's carrying on the teacher's table. "Good morning, everyone," she said, looking at the class.

"Good, morning, Ms. Oaks," the students replied.

Ms. Oaks cleared her throat. "Well," she started. "Now that our second monthly exams are finished –" Some students cheered and clapped their hands when they heard this. "– it's time for me to assign you to your permanent seats." Everyone started to mutter to each other. "You heard it right. Your sitting arrangement is not yet permanent. Now, I'll assign you to your seats for the rest of the school year."

The students started to become noisy. Some groaned and complained about what they heard, some cheered and clapped their hands, and some didn't have any reaction at all.

"No way!" Sora exclaimed, giving a frantic look to his friends, who were sitting beside him. Roxas and Riku returned the same look to him.

"Yes!" Hayner said, clenching his fist and looking at Pence and Olette, who were sitting at the other side of the classroom. Olette smiled to him while Pence gave him a thumbs-up.

Kairi, who was sitting between Naminé and Hayner, grasped Naminé's arm. "Nami," she told her. "I hope we're still going to be seatmates. If we're not, then I hope my seat will be near yours."

"Yeah," Naminé said. "I hope so, too."

Ms. Oaks noticed that the students were becoming noisier. "Will you please be quiet?" she shouted over the noise.

Everyone became silent. Ms. Oaks cleared her throat once again. "Now, then," she began. "Everyone, put your chairs at the back of the room so we can start arranging them."

The students stood up, carried their bags, and pushed their chairs to the back of the classroom. Ms. Oaks crossed her arms as she waited for them to finish. When everyone was finally at the back, she pulled out a piece of paper from one of her books. "Let's start," she said. "Your sitting arrangement will have four rows and ten columns. It will have a boy-girl pattern."

"Uh-oh…" Sora muttered.

"And, gentlemen," Ms. Oaks said, a smile appearing on her face as she put her hands on her hips. "Can you please help the ladies in carrying their chairs?"

Some students began teasing each other because of what their adviser said. As Ms. Oaks appointed the students for the first row, Roxas, Sora, and Riku waited patiently for their names to be called. "I wonder where we're gonna sit," Roxas suddenly said.

Sora put his hands behind his head. "I wish we'll sit in the fourth row," he said.

"Why?" Roxas said, smiling. "So the teachers won't easily notice that you're sleeping during classes?"

"Shut up," Sora said, glaring at his friends as he watched them laugh and share high-fives.

Kairi watched the boys, amused. Naminé chuckled. "Don't worry, Kairi," she told her best friend. "Sora may be easygoing, but he's still trying hard to get good grades."

"Yeah," Kairi answered as she continued to watch. "I know about that. He's really determined, and that's what I really like about him."

"Oh," Naminé said. "Okay." She tried not to giggle, but failed.

Kairi looked at her in surprised. "What's wrong with what I said?" she asked.

"Nothing," Naminé said, shaking her head. She saw Kairi look at her suspiciously. "Okay, I'll tell you what. I think you and Sora look really cute when you're together."

Kairi blushed. "N-Naminé!" she stuttered.

Naminé laughed. Roxas heard this, so he turned to look at the two girls. He saw that Kairi was red in the face, so he asked himself why she's blushing. He saw that Naminé was looking at him. They avoided each other's gaze. Roxas suddenly felt embarrassed. He scratched his head.

"Hey, Roxas," Riku suddenly said with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Roxas said, looking at his silver-haired friend.

"Do you have a crush on Naminé?"

"What?!"

Everyone looked at Roxas, including Naminé and Kairi. He looked around him frantically. Ms. Oaks looked at him alertly. "Is there something wrong back there, Roxas?" she asked.

"Um… No, Ms. Oaks," Roxas replied, giving Riku a warning look. "Everything's fine. Riku just told me a joke, and I was just really surprised about it."

Ms. Oaks nodded. "Alright," she said, looking at the paper she's holding. "Let's continue."

Roxas glared at Riku when he was finally sure that no one was looking at them. "What was that about?" he whispered.

"Well, I saw you look at her," Riku said. "And you avoided each other's gaze when your eyes met. And that would only mean one thing."

"Then, I'm telling you this," Roxas whispered. He glanced at Naminé before continuing. "I don't have a crush on her. I looked at her because I heard her laugh, and I became curious why. Plus, I already told you guys that I just wanna be friends with her."

"Is that all?" Riku teased.

"Yes," Roxas said seriously.

"Come on, Roxas," Sora finally said. "A crush is just someone you idolize, so it's alright if you'll have a crush on my cousin. I mean, come on, she's really smart. Plus…" He leaned closer to his friends so no could hear them. "It might help her feel better."

"What do you mean by that?" Roxas asked.

Sora sighed. "Alright," he said. "I told her that I won't tell anybody about this, but I'm really worried for her." He looked at Naminé, making sure that she's not listening. He looked back to his friends. "Naminé told me that she thinks no one will like her."

"Why?" Roxas asked again.

Sora sighed again before starting. "Because she's a nerd," he continued. "And she also told me that no one likes a nerd, so she's not really interested with 'girly' things like love."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Roxas said. "Try to fall for her? Guys, you already know that my brother and I have a –"

"Yeah, I know that you and your brother have a bet ever since you're kids," Sora interrupted. "But I'm not telling you to _fall_ for my cousin. I just wanna tell you, Roxas, that you need to try your best to befriend her. I know she needs a lot of friends. And she needs someone who understands her, like you."

"Me?"

Riku nodded in agreement. "I think Sora's right," he finally said. "You easily make friends with anyone, Roxas. So, I guess you'll easily befriend Naminé, too."

"You think so?" Roxas said, looking at his friends expectantly.

Sora and Riku nodded. Roxas took a deep breathe before starting. "Okay," he said. "I'll try my best."

"Thanks a lot, Roxas," Sora said, patting on the back.

"And don't worry," Riku added. "I'm gonna help you out."

"Now, for the third row…" Ms. Oaks announced while looking at the paper.

Sora's eyes grew wide in surprise. "It's the third row already?" he said. "Does that mean our conversation was _that _long?"

"Maybe…" Roxas teased as Ms. Oaks started reading the names of some students.

"Please don't call my name, please don't call my name, please don't call my name!" Sora muttered quickly to himself, tapping his foot rapidly on the floor.

Roxas and Riku exchanged amused looks when they heard this and chuckled. They both stopped when Sora glared at them.

While Ms. Oaks continued to read the names of the students who will sit on the third row, Sora continued to tap his foot on the floor. His friends covered their mouths with their hands to hide their smiles. Naminé and Kairi couldn't help but giggle while watching him. When Sora heard this, he looked at the two girls and stopped tapping his foot, embarrassed.

When Ms. Oaks was finished reading, Sora sighed in relief and gave Roxas and Riku a thumbs-up. They both smiled back at him. "Well," Sora said. "Looks like the three of us will sit in the last row."

"Wait a minute!" Ms. Oaks suddenly exclaimed. "It appears I made a mistake."

Sora looked at her frantically. Roxas and Riku snickered at their friend's reaction. Naminé and Kairi hid their smiles by covering their mouths with their hands. Ms. Oaks looked at the paper once again. "Hayner and Pence," she finally said. "Please exchange places."

Sora sighed in relief once again. Hayner, who was sitting beside Olette, stood up to exchange places with Pence, who was one seat away from Hayner.

"Now, for the left side of the fourth row," Ms. Oaks announced. "Roxas Elliots, Naminé Dickson, Sora Ravens, Kairi Madison, and Riku Evans."

"Yes!" Sora whispered, sharing high-fives with Roxas and Riku. They looked at the two girls behind them.

"We're gonna help you with your chairs," Riku told them.

Naminé and Kairi nodded. "Thanks a lot," Kairi said.

As the three boys dragged their own chairs first, the two girls stood up. "Nami," Kairi said, shaking Naminé's arm. "I can't believe it. Sora's my seatmate. I just _can't_ believe it."

Naminé giggled. "Well," she said. "You may not know it, Kairi. Maybe he likes you, too."

"Don't tease me again, Naminé," Kairi said, blushing.

"I'm just telling you what I think," Naminé answered.

When the boys finished putting their chairs to their respective places, Riku turned to his two younger friends. "Well, guys," he told them, crossing his arms. "Can you help the girls in carrying their chairs?"

Sora stared at him in disbelief. "You're the one who volunteered to help them, and now you're telling _us_ to carry their chairs for them?" he said.

Riku cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Sora," he started. "I said, '_We're_ gonna help you with your chairs', not '_I'm_ gonna help you with your chairs.'"

Sora opened his mouth to say more, but Roxas interrupted him. "Come on, Sora," he said. "Let's just help them. Remember, Riku's the class president, so we gotta obey everything he says." He looked at Riku, who gave him a thumbs-up.

Sora sighed. "Alright," he muttered.

"I'll help Naminé, while you help Kairi," Roxas said, smiling, as he began to approach the girls.

"What?!" Sora exclaimed, putting a hand on Roxas' shoulder and pulling him back. "Why do I have to help Kairi?" he whispered to his blond friend's ear.

"I can easily befriend Naminé if I do that," Roxas whispered back. "Plus, this is your chance to become closer to Kairi."

"What do you mean? Why should I become closer to her?"

Roxas smiled once again. "Because I know that you really like her for a very long time," he teased him.

"N-No I don't!" Sora stuttered, blushing.

"Then, how come you face is all red?"

"N-N-No it's not!"

"What's going on there?" Ms. Oaks suddenly said, making the two boys jump in surprise. "Do you have a problem with the sitting arrangement, Roxas and Sora?"

"Nothing, Ms. Oaks," Roxas and Sora said in unison, looking at her.

"Good."

The two boys finally approached Naminé and Kairi. "We'll help you with your chairs," Roxas told them.

Sora remained silent, avoiding Kairi's eyes. Roxas nudged him on the elbow. "W-What?" Sora suddenly said, looking at Roxas.

Roxas raised his brow at his friend, gesturing him to speak up. Sora got his message. "… Yeah," he finally told Naminé and Kairi. "We'll help you out."

"Thank you," Kairi said, becoming red in the face again. Naminé chuckled when she saw this.

"I'll help you, Naminé," Roxas said as he began to drag Naminé's chair. "Sora, you help Kairi."

Sora and Kairi continued to blush as they watched their friends walk away. "So… um…" Sora started, holding Kairi's chair by its back rest. He cleared his throat, gaining more confidence. "I'll help you with your chair."

Kairi nodded as she watched Sora drag her chair. Roxas and Naminé chuckled when they glanced and saw this. "Well," Roxas told Naminé absent-mindedly. "Looks like Sora _really _like Kairi a lot. It became really obvious because of the look on his face."

He saw the surprise in Naminé's blue eyes and he began to wonder why. Then, it finally struck him. He just said that Sora liked Kairi, and he already told himself that he'll never tell anyone about it, even Sora's cousin. "Oh, man," Roxas said, slapping his forehead. "I'm such a jerk. I can't believe I slipped!"

Naminé giggled as Roxas put her chair between his and Sora's. Roxas turned to her. "Just forget about what I said," Roxas told her. "Wait a sec, you can't forget about that anymore… Just don't tell your cousin that I slipped… Please, Naminé… I really think he's going to kill me if he'll discover about what I told you…"

Naminé just nodded in understanding. Roxas smiled at her. "Thanks a lot," he said.

The blonde shook her head, gesturing to Roxas that it's nothing. She finally put her bag on her chair and sat down.

Riku, who was standing while waiting for his friends, patted his blond friend on the shoulder. "I saw what you did to Sora," he whispered. "Good job, Roxas."

Roxas smiled at him. Sora finally approached them, dragging Kairi's chair with him. He placed it between his seat and Riku's. He noticed that Roxas and Riku were smiling as they watched him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," his friends said, still smiling, as Roxas went to his own chair and sat on it. Riku sat on the floor in front of Roxas. They continued to watch Sora.

"Are you guys planning something on me again?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"Nope," Roxas and Riku said, shaking their heads again but still smiling.

Sora gave them one last suspicious look and finally looked at Ms. Oaks, waiting for his adviser to say something. When Roxas and Riku were already sure that Sora was not looking, they shared a high-five.

Ms. Oaks looked at the wall clock at the back of the room. "Excuse me, class," she said. "I need to talk to Mr. Leonhart for a while. I'll be right back, so be quiet." She finally walked out of the room.

But still, the students continued talking to each other. "I wonder what they're gonna talk about," Pence said.

"It's probably about their date," Hayner joked loudly, making the students hear him and laugh at his joke. Olette just rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me, Hayner," she said, smiling. "Have you forgotten that Ms. Oaks already had Mr. Bunansa, and Mr. Leonhart already had Ms. Heartilly?"

The students laughed even more. "Oh, yeah," Hayner replied, giving Olette a high-five. "How can I forget about that? Nice one, Olette."

"Um… Sora?" Kairi said, tapping Sora on the shoulder.

Sora jumped a bit because of this. "… Yeah, Kairi?" he said, slowly turning to look at her.

"Well… um…" Kairi started, becoming red in the face again. "I just… wanna thank you for helping me out."

"Oh," Sora said, bashfully scratching his head. "Uh… sure. Don't mention it. I'm always ready to help."

Riku, who was still sitting on the floor, smirked when he saw this. "Hey, Roxas," he whispered to his friend.

Roxas, who continued to watch Sora and Kairi, turned to look at his silver-haired friend. "What?" he asked him.

Riku gestured him to come closer. "I need to tell you something," he whispered. He looked at Naminé, who looked interested on what they were talking about. "Do you want to hear it too, Naminé?"

Naminé looked at the two boys in surprise. Only a few people talked to her, so she couldn't believe that her cousin's friends were _actually_ talking to her and letting her listen to what they're talking about. Of course, she wanted to listen to them. They appeared to be really nice, but she still hesitated.

Roxas seemed to sense her hesitation. _Okay, Roxas,_ he thought. _It's time to make some action._ "It's okay with us, Naminé," he told the girl. "You are our friend's cousin, after all."

Naminé looked more surprised, but she finally nodded and leaned forward to listen to the two boys. Roxas saw the gratitude and happiness in her eyes. _Looks like first step's a success,_ he remarked to himself as a smile appeared on his face while watching Naminé and giving back his attention to Riku.

"Alright," Riku whispered again, looking at Roxas and Naminé. "I think I have a theme song for those two." He glanced at Sora and Kairi, who were talking to each other in an awkward way, making sure that they were not looking and listening.

"Really?" Roxas said, interested. "What is it?"

When Riku whispered to them the title of the song, Roxas couldn't help but laugh out loud, while Naminé just covered her mouth to hide her grin. "Nice one, Riku," Roxas said as he continued to laugh and gave his silver-haired friend a high-five.

Sora heard Roxas' laugh. "Hey," he finally said, looking at the three teenagers. "Why are you guys laughing? What are you talking about, anyway?"

"It's not really important, Sora," Naminé suddenly said, turning to look at her cousin. Roxas and Riku looked at her in surprise. They couldn't believe that Naminé, the most behaved student in their class, or maybe even in their _batch_, was covering them up.

"Oh, really?" Sora said, looking at her in suspicion. "Well, it's really surprising to see that you're talking to someone else besides me and…" He blushed and glanced nervously at the red-haired girl standing beside him. "… Kairi…"

Roxas and Riku exchanged amused glances while Naminé just smiled. "I'm not talking to them," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm just listening to what they're talking about, because it sounded…" She glanced at the two boys sitting beside her and looked back to Sora. "…interesting."

"Oh…" Sora said. "Um… okay."

"Thanks a lot for covering us up, Naminé," Roxas whispered to the blonde as she looked back to them. She smiled and shook her head, indicating that it was nothing to her.

"So, Roxas," Riku said with a mysterious smile on his face. "Are we going to sing it together?"

"Sure," Roxas replied. "I'm in." He gestured to Naminé to be silent by putting his index finger on his lips. Naminé understood him and nodded.

Riku gave the two a thumbs-up and looked at Kairi, who was finally sitting on her chair. "Hey, Kairi," he told the red-haired girl. "Is it alright if Roxas and I will sing a song for you?"

Sora, who was about to go back to his own seat, stared at his friends in surprise. Kairi looked surprised, too. "Um…" she said hesitantly. "Sure… I guess…"

Sora stared at them in suspicion, but Riku just ignored him and continued to smile. This time, Roxas spoke up. "Just imagine someone with spiky brown hair and blue eyes singing this to you," he told Kairi, smirking and glancing at Sora.

Sora gaped at his two friends, while Kairi nodded. Riku nodded to Roxas, signaling him that they should start singing. "_**Every moment you're not here**_," they both sang. "_**Reminds me how much I need you**_."

"What the –" Sora exclaimed.

"'_**Cause it always feels like Sunday when I drive you home**_," Roxas and Riku sang.

"Guys, stop it!" Sora said, looking frantically at Kairi, who began to blush as she listened to the song. Naminé chuckled as she watched Roxas and Riku.

"_**Maybe we'll be fine by Monday, but tonight I'm alone**_."

Sora marched threateningly towards Riku, making the silver-haired boy stood up from the floor. "_**Baby, when I can't be with you, I still want you close**_," Roxas and Riku continued as Riku walked backwards while Sora approached him. "_**'Cause it always feels like Sunday when you go / When you go**_."

Roxas and Riku roared in laughter after they sang. Sora glared at Riku. "Why, you –" he began, but said no more, knowing that there's no use arguing with them after the embarrassing scene. He groaned in defeat and turned to confront Naminé.

This time, Kairi, who was still blushing, spoke up with him. "Nami!" they both exclaimed, sounding and looking embarrassed.

Naminé chuckled again, looking at Roxas. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled back to him. _They're not so bad at all_, she thought. _They're so… friendly. I hope they'll become my friends, especially Roxas. He's a nice guy. _She suddenly shook her head. _Wait a sec… Am I having a crush on him already? Oh, no, Naminé. You know you shouldn't. Your very first priority is your studies, so don't think about boys now…_

"Can't believe this," Sora muttered as he went back to his seat and sat between Naminé and Kairi. "My cousin, the smartest and most quiet student in our class, _teamed-up_ with my prankish friends. Hey, Kairi, I'm really sorry about Roxas and Riku. They just love playing jokes on other people."

"Says who?" Roxas teased.

"Shut up," Sora told Roxas threateningly, glaring at him. Roxas shrugged and said no more.

Kairi smiled. "It's okay, Sora," she said.

Riku, who was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, peeked out of the window beside him. His eyes grew wide in surprise at what he saw. He turned to his classmates. "Ms. Oaks is coming!" he told them.

Everyone quickly got back to their proper seats, including Riku. Sora placed his foot in his friend's way, planning to make him trip, but Riku's foot passed over his. Sora watched him in disbelief, while Riku smirked at him as he sat on Kairi's right side. "Sora, Sora," Riku teased. "Your style is really old."

"Hmph," Sora said. "Whatever."

Ms. Oaks finally entered the room. "Alright, class," she said as she approached the teacher's desk. "We're going to check your test papers in History." A lot of students groaned and cheered again when they heard this while Ms. Oaks ignored them and took out the papers from the big red envelope she was carrying before. "No more complaints!" she shouted, making her students silent once again. "Anyway, Mr. Leonhart told me that you're going to have a new classmate, and she's going to arrive in a few minutes, so I want you all to treat her with respect."

The students started muttering to each other again. "Wow," Roxas said. "I wonder who it is."

Ms. Oaks cleared her throat, making everyone silent. "Riku?" she called.

"Yes, ma'am?" Riku answered, standing up.

"As the class president, I want you to show her around. Can you do that?"

"Oooooh…" Sora teased Riku in a whisper.

Riku gave his best friend a warning look then looked back to his adviser. "Sure, Ms. Oaks," he replied. "No problem. I'll do it."

"Good. Now, can you help me distribute these papers?"

Riku nodded and gave Sora another warning look as he walked. Sora just smirked as he watched him.

"Wait a minute," Kairi suddenly said. "Ms. Oaks said, '_She's_ going to arrive in a few minutes'. So, that would mean…"

"Yup," Roxas said. "Our new classmate is a girl."

"Hmm…" Sora said with a sinister smile appearing on his face as he watched Riku distribute some papers. "That sounds interesting." _Pay back time_, he told himself.

Riku finally approached their line. "Hey, Riku," Sora told him, still smiling. "I didn't know you're 'girl crazy'."

"Shut up," Riku said as he looked at the papers he was holding. He smiled sinisterly and pulled out the paper in the top and gave it to Kairi. "Here you go, Kairi." He smiled again as he read the name on the next paper and gave it to Sora. He pulled out one paper for him to check and gave the remaining ones to Roxas and Naminé.

As Riku went back to his own chair, Sora read the name on the paper he was going to check. _Kairi Madison_. His eyes grew wide, looking at the red-haired girl beside him. He saw that her blue eyes were wide in surprise too as she looked at the paper she was holding. He looked at it and saw that his name was written on it. "You rotten –" he exclaimed as he looked at Riku.

"Now, what's your problem, Sora?" Ms. Oaks suddenly asked, a bit angry. She placed her hands on her waist. Everyone turned their attention to the brown-haired boy.

"It's nothing, Ms. Oaks," Sora quickly said. When the teacher was finally not looking, he shook his fist at Riku. The silver-haired boy just whistled "Feels Like Sunday", making Sora more annoyed.

Roxas laughed when he saw this and looked at the paper he was going to check. _Naminé Elliots_. He gaped as he shifted his eyes from it to Naminé. He saw the surprise look on her face when she looked at the paper he was holding. She suddenly giggled, making him confused. As she looked back to the paper she was going to check, Roxas noticed that his name was written on it and finally understood why she giggled. "Looks like we just exchanged papers," he joked. "At least we won't stand up at all when we're going to return them."

Naminé nodded in agreement. _I guess Sora and Riku were right_, Roxas thought as he wrote his name as corrector on Naminé's paper. _I can easily befriend Naminé, and it looks like she's being open to me now_.

"Let's start," Ms. Oaks said, taking out her answer key. "I just hope no one will fail."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Roxas and Sora muttered in unison. They looked at each other in surprise then laughed silently. Riku just shook his head and rolled his eyes as he watched them.

Sora noticed Riku's reaction. "Hey, Roxas," he muttered to his blond friend. "Look at Riku. He looks really confident. You think he'll get a high score?"

"Of course," Roxas muttered back. "What can you expect from the _class president_?"

"Excuse me, you two," Riku suddenly interrupted. "Instead of talking about other people, you should focus on your papers. We already started checking, in case you don't know."

Sora looked frantically at the paper Kairi was checking, while Roxas looked at Naminé's and realized that their friend was right. "Oh, crap," they both muttered as they both checked the papers they were holding. Naminé and Kairi giggled at this.

Ms. Oaks continued to dictate the correct answers while the students checked the papers. Roxas checked Naminé's in amazement. She still didn't have any mistake. She could even have a perfect score. He winced every time he notices that Naminé circled his wrong answers. _Oh, no_, he thought. _I think I'm going to fail History!_

After a few minutes, they finally finished checking their test papers. Naminé got a perfect score, just like what Roxas expected. "Great job," he told her as he gave the paper back to her. She just smiled and gave back his. He took it and looked at his score. Forty out of fifty. He sighed in relief, feeling happy that he didn't fail.

"Hey, Roxas," Sora suddenly said. "What's your score?"

"Forty," Roxas answered. "What's yours?"

"Thirty-eight," Sora replied solemnly. "Pretty disappointing, huh?"

"It's okay, Sora," Kairi finally said encouragingly. "We still have lots of exams to come. You can study harder."

"Thanks," Sora said, becoming in high spirits again because of Kairi's encouragement. Roxas and Naminé exchanged smiles when they saw this, making Sora notice them. "Why are you smiling?"

The two blond teens shook their heads. Riku suddenly interrupted them again. "Can you give this to Olette?" he asked, giving them Olette's paper.

Sora took it from him and looked at the score. His blue eyes grew wide in amazement. "Fifty out of fifty?" he blurted out, making Kairi look at it too. "Whoa, Olette, are you sure you're a human?"

Olette, who was sitting in front of Roxas, looked at him in surprise. "I got a perfect score?" she exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it!"

"What did you expect from our vice president?" Riku muttered as he watched Sora give back Olette's paper. He looked surprised when Pence gave him his own paper. "Thanks." He looked at it with no reaction at all.

"So, Riku," Roxas said. "What's your score?"

"Forty-nine," Riku said as he turned his paper to the next page.

"What?!" Roxas and Sora exclaimed.

"I didn't know the answer on the last one," Riku continued, pointing his finger at the bottom of the test paper.

"That's too bad," Kairi said. "I wish I'm smart like you. I only got thirty-nine."

"But you're already smart, Kairi," Sora remarked, a bit red on the face. Kairi couldn't help but blush again.

There was silence between them for a while. Riku finally broke it. "_**'Cause it always feels like Sunday **_–" he teased silently.

"Shut up, Riku," Sora said, annoyed, as Roxas and Naminé covered their mouths to avoid laughing.

"Nami," Kairi finally said, changing the subject. "What's your score?"

"You already know what it is," Naminé muttered sadly, looking at her hands.

Kairi seemed to understand what her friend meant. "Oh," she said. "Um… okay…"

Roxas looked at Naminé in surprise and confusion at the same time. _She already got a perfect score, but why does she still look sad?_ He thought.

"Pass your papers forward so I can record your scores," Ms. Oaks said.

Naminé didn't seem to hear her. She continued to look at her hands. Roxas watched her, still confused. "Hey," he finally said, making the blonde jump in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Naminé just nodded, passing her paper to the front and looking back at her hands sadly. Roxas continued to watch her as he passed his own test paper. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, concerned.

Naminé nodded again, this time smiling. Roxas didn't seem to believe her. He suddenly noticed Kairi looking at her friend worriedly. She looked away when she saw that Roxas was looking at her. _What's going on?_ He asked himself.

While Ms. Oaks was arranging the papers, someone knocked on their open door. Everyone looked at the source. A sixteen-year-old boy with brown hair and eyes was holding a chair behind him. Beside him stood a girl with dark blue hair and blue eyes who was carrying a light blue backpack. Roxas didn't know who the girl is, but he knew that the boy was Isilud Tengille, one of Ven's close friends and another member of the Music Club. "Excuse me, Ms. Oaks," Isilud said.

"What can I do for you, Isilud?" Ms. Oaks said matter-of-factly as she shifted her eyes from the test papers to the boy.

Isilud pointed his thumb at the girl beside him. "The new student's here," he replied.

Ms. Oaks looked surprised for a while. "Come in," she finally said as she began to approach the girl.

Isilud nodded at the new student. The girl entered and faced everyone when Ms. Oaks approached her. "Class," the teacher told the students. "This is your new classmate, Xion. I want you treat her with respect since she's new here."

"It looks like our new classmate _is_ a girl," Roxas whispered to Naminé, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Xion," Ms. Oaks told the girl. "Introduce yourself to everyone."

"Yeah, just make it short," Isilud joked. "I think I'm getting tired of standing here outside."

Xion and some students laughed. Ms. Oaks glared at him while Isilud just smiled. The teacher cleared her throat. "Go for it, Xion," she told the new student.

Xion nodded and turned to the class. "Good morning, everyone," she started. "I'm Xion Williams and I'm fourteen years old. I just moved in from Twilight Town with my family. I hope we'll have a great time together."

"Our class president, Riku Evans, will show you around the school later," Ms. Oaks said, acknowledging Riku a look.

Xion nodded, looking at Riku as well. He smiled at her, and she smiled back to him. Only Roxas, Naminé, Sora, and Kairi saw this. The four of them smiled. "_**This could be the start of something new**_," Sora teased Riku in a soft voice. "_**It feels so right to be here with you, oh / And now, looking in your eyes / I feel in my heart…**_"

"_**The start of something new**_," Roxas and Kairi sang along and laughed. Naminé chuckled and Sora gave them high-fives. Riku just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"Is it alright if she'll sit beside you, Riku?" Ms. Oaks asked.

Riku's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Um…" he started.

Sora smiled wider. "_**I never knew that it could happen 'til it happened to me**_," he continued singing.

"Shut up, Sora," Riku said, glaring at him.

"Come on, Riku," Sora whispered. "You gave me a theme song, then I'll give you yours."

Riku ignored him again by looking back to Ms. Oaks. "It's okay with me, ma'am," he replied.

"Good," Ms. Oaks said again. "Then you, Kairi, Sora, Naminé, and Roxas should move your chairs to the left so Isilud can place Xion's chair beside yours."

"Well, well, well," Sora teased again as he and his "seatmates" stood up and moved their chairs. "It looks like she's really going to sit beside you, Riku."

"I said shut up, Sora," Riku repeated, annoyed.

Sora shifted his attention to Roxas. "I think you'll become a loner there, Roxas," he teased.

"Nah, not really," Roxas replied. "I still have Naminé as a seatmate." He glanced at Naminé, who smiled at him.

Sora gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed him a "Good luck". Roxas nodded,

"Alright, Isilud," Ms. Oaks said when the five teenagers finally sat down. "You can carry Xion's chair now. Place it beside Riku's."

"At last," Isilud joked as he carried Xion's chair and entered the room. "After a million years of standing and waiting outside, the speech was finally over."

A lot of students laughed and Ms. Oaks smiled at his joke as she watched her former student put down the chair beside Riku's. Isilud smiled at the silver-haired boy. "Take care of Xion, okay, Riku?" he whispered to him.

"What?!" Riku whispered in disbelief. Isilud winked at him while Roxas, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé couldn't help but laugh. Isilud smiled wider as he walked past Xion.

"Good luck," he whispered to the girl, patting her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Xion asked in confusion, turning to look at him.

Isilud didn't seem to hear her. "I gotta get going, Ms. Oaks," he said. "Mr. Bunansa might get angry if I won't be back. Take care of Xion, okay?"

"Don't worry," Ms. Oaks replied as she watched Isilud walk out of the door. "I always take care of all of my students."

Isilud smiled and waved at her. As he turned and began to walk away, he bumped into a boy with blond hair. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Watch it, will ya?"

"Really sorry, cousin!" the boy replied. "I'm a bit in a hurry."

Isilud just shook his head in disbelief as he walked away. The blond boy knocked on the classroom's door. "Ms. Oaks," he called. "I have an announcement to tell everyone."

* * *

**Songs used in this Chapter:** Feels Like Sunday by Jesse McCartney; Start of Something New by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

That's the end of Chapter Three. To tell you all the truth, I'm not really contented with this chapter, even though it's really long (for me =P), but at least I wrote some instead of writing nothing, right? Consider this as my birthday (Yay! I'm finally fifteen years old! =P) and Christmas treat for everyone… =D And I had a hard time with the song parts again. I just really love music and singing.

Sorry about the grammatical errors and I hope you enjoyed. Happy Holidays, everyone! =D


	4. Chapter Four: Notebook Chat

After many months, here it is, Chapter Four. Truth is, I already started typing this after I passed Chapter Three, but with me being confined in the hospital for almost a week, and having lots of school work to do, I didn't have any time to type this. Really sorry, readers!

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, especially a classmate of mine who inspired me even more to finish this chapter. Thank you very much, everyone, for making me work harder with this fanfic…

Well, here it is. The chapter you've been waiting for a very long time. I hope you'll enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, the characters, and the song used in this chapter.

**NOTE: **The song part is in bold and italic style. In the 'notebook chat' part, Roxas' handwriting is bold, while Naminé's is italic.

* * *

_**CHAPTER FOUR: "NOTEBOOK CHAT"**_

Ms. Oaks didn't even look at the blond-haired boy. "Just make it fast, Ramza," she muttered as she looked at the scores on the test papers.

Roxas stared at the boy named Ramza in disbelief. _Is that really Ramza Beoulve, the Music Club president?_ He asked himself. The last time he saw him, he had a long ponytail, but now he looked completely different because his ponytail was gone and his hair was really short. _Wait a minute. Bro said that the Music Club will make an announcement. Maybe Ramza will tell us about it now…_

Ramza smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "It's just a few seconds… Wait, make that a few minutes."

"Go for it," Ms. Oaks muttered.

"Okay, I gotta make it fast," Ramza said quickly, turning to the class and becoming serious. "Everyone, especially the music lovers –" he glanced at Roxas when he said this. "The Music Club will post an announcement during dismissal at the bulletin board near the faculty room. So if you want to know what it is, you'll have to check it out later. It's going to be a big surprise for everyone. I'm sure you're all gonna be _really_ excited and happy about it. If you are a member of the Music Club, don't even try telling what our announcement is to others. And if you have friends, brothers, sisters, or relatives who are Music Club members, don't even try asking them 'cause they won't answer you. Remember, this is a _surprise_. Don't get angry to them if they don't want to tell you about it. Be angry to _me_ because I'm the one who told them not to… spill the beans."

"Wow," Sora muttered to Roxas. "He appears to be a really strict president. No wonder why Ven didn't tell you what the announcement is."

"Yeah," Roxas said, nodding in agreement.

"I think that's all," Ramza said, this time smiling and turning to the teacher, who was not paying too much attention on what he said. "It's just a few seconds… right?

"Yes, maybe," Ms. Oaks replied absent-mindedly, still looking at the scores.

Ramza jokingly sighed in relief as he walked out of the door. "Thanks a lot, Ms. Agrias Oaks," he said with a smile.

"Oooooh!" some students said as Ms. Oaks finally looked at her former student in surprise. Roxas knew why. Ms. Oaks didn't really like her students say her first name, and the only ones who say her first name were her fellow teachers, the school employees, the school administration, and some students who were really close to her, though Roxas was not really sure if Ramza was close to her.

"Who gave you the right to say my first name?" Ms. Oaks questioned Ramza, pretending to be annoyed even though it's only a joke.

"Um…" Ramza began, scratching his head. "… Me?"

The students laughed, while Xion rubbed her forehead in embarrassment. Ms. Oaks smiled a bit. "Well, I don't really think we're close, so you _can't_ say my first name," she joked again.

"Well, we're not really that close," Ramza said, smiling wider as he remembered something. "But, in order for us to be close, we need to be open to each other."

This time, Xion slapped her forehead, while Roxas, Sora, and Riku couldn't help but laugh. Naminé and Kairi covered their mouths with their hands. Roxas heard this joke a lot of times because this was Ven's favorite, and there was no doubt that he shared this to a lot of people.

Ms. Oaks stared at Ramza in disbelief. "I already heard that _corny_ joke from Ventus a million times last year, so I don't want to hear it anymore," she said.

"Gee," Ramza joked dramatically. "_Mickey_'s gonna be really hurt when he heard that, especially since you said his real first name. I mean, you know that he doesn't really like it when people call him 'Ventus'. Well, at least Roxas is not 'corny' like Mickey."

Everyone turned their attention to Roxas, who looked surprised. "Um…" he began, not knowing what to say. "Hi…"

Naminé giggled at this. The school bell suddenly rang, making Ramza jump in surprise. "Wow, it's the next subject already?" he asked himself. "I gotta get going. See you later, Ms. Ag – I mean, Ms. Oaks." He waved at his former teacher as he ran back to his own class.

Ms. Oaks just shook her head in disbelief as she stood up and gathered the test papers. "Wait for your next teacher," she told the class, putting the papers back inside the envelope and carrying her things again. "Goodbye, class."

"Bye, Ms. Oaks!" the students said as she walked out of the room. Some students began standing up and walking over to their friends. Hayner stole his chance when the girl sitting between him and Pence stood up and went to her friend. Hayner quickly slid out of his seat, sat beside Pence, and began to talk to his two friends.

"Oh, no," Sora muttered in disgust. "It's already time for Chemistry. I think I'm going to fail it…"

"You're not the only one, Sora," Roxas said. "You're not the only one."

"Okay, introductions," Riku finally said, looking at Xion, who was sitting beside him. "I'm Riku Evans, the class president." He offered a hand to her. As Xion shook his hand, he turned his head at the other four. "These are Kairi Madison, Sora Ravens, Naminé Dickson, and Roxas Elliots."

"Pleased to meet you guys," Xion said as she began shaking Kairi's hand. "I hope we'll have a great time together."

"I know we will," Kairi answered with a smile as she watched Xion shake Sora's, and Naminé's hands.

The blue-haired girl looked surprised as she shook Roxas' hand. "Wait a minute," she began as she looked at both Roxas and Naminé. "Have we met before? You two really look familiar, especially you, Roxas. I think I already saw you a few minutes ago…"

"Really?" Roxas asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Xion replied. "At my cousins' classroom."

"Wait a sec," Sora interrupted. "Don't tell me your cousins are…"

"The two guys who entered this room a few minutes ago," Xion said matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes. "Isilud Tengille and Ramza Beoulve."

"You're kidding!" Roxas exclaimed.

"No, I'm not," Xion replied. "Those guys are my cousins. I gotta admit, though. They can act very silly sometimes, but I've heard that they are really good in academics."

"Very much," Roxas muttered, remembering that his brother's friends were all smart, but Ven was still the smartest among them.

"But, you know what?" Xion continued. "I'm really wondering why they suddenly became jokers when they entered high school, because they're really serious when they were still in grade school."

"Thank my brother for that," Roxas muttered to himself again.

"Do you know them?" Xion asked, remembering Roxas' sudden outburst.

"Uh… yeah, very much…" Roxas said, not knowing what to say.

"Wow. You guys must be really great friends."

"No, not really."

"Wait a sec," Sora suddenly changed the topic. "The 'Mickey' Ramza was talking about… Was that Ven?"

"Wow, I didn't know you have a good memory, Sora," Roxas joked, remembering that he actually told his two friends about it. "But, yeah, my brother is the 'Mickey' of their club. He said it's probably because he's _small but terrible_ like Mickey himself." He rolled his eyes when he said the words "small but terrible", but deep inside, he thought that his brother was right about it.

"Well, I agree that he's small but terrible," Riku suddenly said, making Roxas look at him in surprise. "He's the smallest among the senior members of the Music Club, yet he's still the best among them, and he's the one in the club who loves music the most." He glanced at his blond friend. "But I really think that someone else loves music more than Ven does."

"I wonder who it is…" Kairi said absent-mindedly.

Naminé looked at Roxas, who was staring at Riku in disbelief. _It must be Roxas,_ she thought as she remembered how Riku glanced at him. _There's no doubt that it's him from the way he looks at Riku_.

"I heard from my sister that Ramza is only the fourth in the rank, even though he's the president," Kairi interrupted. "Isilud's the fifth, right, Xion?"

Xion nodded. "That's what they told me," she answered.

Finally, Riku looked at the wall clock. "I wonder what's taking Professor Vexen so long?" he said, more to himself than to his friends. He suddenly stood up. "I'll go and check him out at the faculty room. Just wait here." He quickly got out of the room.

"Hmm…" Xion started, staring at the departing silver-haired boy. "Riku seems to be a very responsible president…"

"Yup, you're right about that," Sora said with a mysterious smile on his face. "He's really smart, too, and good at anything."

Xion nodded as she continued to stare at the open door. Roxas looked at Sora suspiciously. "Don't ever continue whatever you're planning, Sora," he said. "Because whatever it is, I won't let it happen."

"Okay, okay," Sora said. He sighed. "Looks like I won't have my revenge on Riku… yet." He smirked.

"Why would you do that?" Roxas asked.

"Because of what he did to me earlier," Sora answered, matter-of-factly.

"Dude, it really looks like we're right about our guess that you like Kairi," Roxas whispered, making Sora blush a little. "Because if you don't, then you shouldn't be doing this. And, by the way, I'm the one who teased you first. Riku just followed me. Shouldn't you be having your revenge on _me_?"

Sora hesitated for a while. Glancing at Naminé, who was sitting between them and, obviously, hearing what they were talking about, he stood up and sat at the floor beside Roxas' seat. "You wanna know why?" he whispered to his friend. "It's because I don't want my cousin to be involved."

Roxas glanced at Naminé, who was deep in thought and silently staring at her hands. He returned his eyes to Sora. "Why would she be involved, anyway?" he whispered back.

Sora sighed before starting, a bit red on the face. "Alright, I admit," he started. "I do like Kairi." Roxas slowly smiled. "But don't tell Riku about it. He'll probably tease me about it, and he'll finally know my weakness." He continued when Roxas nodded. "I really think things will turn out good between Riku and Xion…" He stopped, waiting for Roxas to say something. When the blond boy didn't answer, Sora groaned. "Don't you see it yet, Roxas? Riku and Xion will probably become a couple. Well, I do have high hopes that Kairi likes me too. And that only leaves you and Naminé…"

Roxas finally understood what his friend meant. He stared at him in disbelief. "You believe," he started. "That Naminé and I will become a couple? That we'll fall for each other?"

"Well, I know that you wouldn't like that to happen, especially since you and your brother are having some kind of 'bet'," Sora said. "So I won't let Naminé be involved here."

"Then your choice is right," Roxas said, glancing at Naminé to make sure she was not listening. "Don't worry, I won't fall for her. And I can't, because my brother will probably win again."

"What did you expect?" Sora replied matter-of-factly, placing his hands at the back of his heads. "He's the 'King of Bets', after all."

"That's why I'm gonna prove that he can't win in every single bet he's in," Roxas insisted. "I won't let him win this time."

"Good luck," Sora said with an encouraging smile.

Riku finally came back. "Guys," he began. "Professor Vexen's not present, and he didn't give us anything to do, so we can do whatever we like." Everyone cheered. "But just make sure that you won't be too loud." He went to Xion's seat. "Um, Xion… I went to Ms. Oaks. She said I can show you around now."

"Really?" Xion asked, excited, and standing up. "I can't wait!"

Riku smiled. "Let's go," he said as he and the new student went out of the room. He stopped at a window. "Good luck, Sora!" he said with a smirk as Sora sat beside Kairi again.

"What the – " Sora exclaimed, blushing, as Roxas burst out laughing. He groaned. "Well, good luck on your date!" he shot back, making Roxas laugh even more.

"Don't worry, Sora," Naminé finally said as Roxas cleared his throat when he was finished laughing. "We won't disturb you guys for a while."

"What?!" Sora exclaimed in disbelief as he watched Roxas and Naminé share a high-five. "Can't believe this." He finally turned to Kairi and started talking to her.

While Sora and Kairi talked to each other (in an awkward way), silence remained between Roxas and Naminé. The blond-haired girl just took out her notebook and began writing some stuff. Roxas, who didn't know how to start a conversation between him and Naminé, just borrowed Hayner's guitar and silently began to play random songs so no one but Naminé could hear him. Without even knowing it, he began singing as well.

_**I need a break from it all  
Some space from it all for a minute  
I'm trying to make sense of it all  
This place is so unforgiving  
**_

_**Wanting and waiting and somehow it's another winter  
Big plans and big dreams, they're rolling now  
**_

'_**Cause I'm running away, running away, I gotta do it  
Make my escape from the world I've been living in  
Nothing's holding me down, I'm leaving this town, I gotta do it  
Deep down I know that as long as I stay true  
It doesn't matter where I'm running to  
**_

He made a sideward glance at Naminé and saw that she was watching him with a smile on her face. He suddenly stopped playing the guitar, realizing that he should be befriending her. "Um…" he started, not knowing what to say.

Naminé gave him a confused look and took out another notebook. Opening it, she started writing something. After a few seconds, she showed it to Roxas.

_Why did you stop? Go on. I'll listen._

Roxas stared at it for a long time, surprised. _Oh, great_, he told himself. _You're too slow, Roxas. Now look what happened. She's the one who did the first move._ He looked at Naminé and saw her smiling at him. He finally nodded and started to sing and play the guitar again.

_**Standing alone in the crowd  
Can't find my way out, but I'm trying  
Everything's within my reach  
But everything seems like it's nothing  
**_

_**When you're looking for something that's better than what is around you  
All this illusions, they're rolling now  
**_

'_**Cause I'm running away, running away, I gotta do it  
Make my escape from the world I've been living in  
Nothing's holding me down, I'm leaving this town, I gotta do it  
Deep down I know that as long as I stay true  
It doesn't matter where I'm running  
**_

He stopped again. Not because of Naminé, but because of the next lines. Hesitating, he looked at the girl. Naminé was looking at him expectantly. Having no other choice, Roxas continued.

_**And all I wanted was someone  
Who could see that I ain't just like anybody  
All I needed was someone who could  
Tell me it's all right  
**_

_**I've waited all this time to be a part of something  
I want it so bad and there's no reason to be  
Looking back 'cause now I know I finally feel alive  
**_

'_**Cause I'm running away, running away, I gotta do it  
Make my escape from the world I've been living in  
Nothing's holding me down, I'm leaving this town, I gotta do it  
Deep down I know that as long as I stay true  
It doesn't matter where I'm running to  
**_

_**Running away, running away, I gotta do it  
Make my escape from the world I've been living in  
Nothing's holding me down, I'm leaving this town, I gotta do it  
Deep down I know that as long as I stay true  
It doesn't matter where I'm running  
Running to  
**_

Naminé smiled wider when the song was finally over. Writing in her notebook again, she showed the message to Roxas.

_That was great! You play the guitar really well._

"Thanks," Roxas said with a smile as he returned the guitar to Hayner. "I learned it from – "

He stopped when Naminé gave him her notebook and a pen with a different color. He looked at Naminé then back to the notebook and pen. Finally understanding what she meant, he took it from her and began writing.

**Thanks a lot. I learned it from my brother. But, as always, he's better than me.**

Roxas returned it to Naminé. The blond girl nodded when she finally read it. She wrote back.

_Do you envy him?_

Roxas was a bit surprised when he read it. He didn't write for a while. Does he envy his brother? Finally, he wrote back to Naminé.

**No, I don't think I envy him… I just… don't want other people to compare me to him. We may look alike, but we're still different from each other. Haha… Sorry if you have to read this.**

Naminé smiled and wrote back to him.

_It's okay. Just tell me if anything bothers you. I'll do my best to help you out._

**Thanks a bunch.**

_Don't mention it._

Roxas smiled at her. For a while, Naminé didn't write anything. After a moment of hesitation, she showed him her message.

_I know this is too private, but I just noticed that you look troubled this morning. May I know the reason why?_

Roxas looked surprised for a while and stared at the note for a long time. Knowing the answer, Naminé wrote once again.

_It's alright if you won't tell me. I knew it's too private. I'm really sorry! I'm just curious…_

The boy chuckled. Taking off the pen's cap, he wrote back to the girl.

**My brother and I had some kind of conversation this morning. Something about the Music Club's announcement. I kept on asking him about it… Until we came to the topic about why I didn't join the club…**

Naminé nodded when she read this. Roxas continued.

**The truth is, he's the reason why I didn't join. I told him another reason, but he knew I was lying. Haha, he's really good at it, knowing if a person is lying or not…**

_You didn't join because of Ven? Why?_

**Like what I said, I mean WROTE, before. I don't like people to compare me to him. I don't wanna be in his shadow. I wanna be someone who's not like my brother. Well, I admit, I idolize him because of all the great things he's doing. I can't possibly do everything that he can.**

_Of course you can do it. Just believe in yourself. Which reminds me… You love music more than Ven does, right?_

**How did you know?**

_I saw Riku look at you while he said those things. And I saw the look on your face._

**Haha. I thought no one saw that… looks like I'm wrong.**

They both chuckled. Finally, Naminé quickly wrote something in the notebook, gave it to Roxas, and took out something from her bag.

_I'll show you something that will cheer you up._

As Roxas looked back at Naminé, he saw her holding a sketchbook. "You can draw?" he asked in surprise as he watched her open the book.

Naminé nodded as she looked at a page for while and showed it to Roxas with a smile on her face. When Roxas looked at it, he saw the most beautiful drawing of the sunset at the Destiny Island's beachfront. "Wow," he said in amazement as he continued to stare at the drawing. "You drew this? It's beautiful. The most beautiful drawing I've ever seen."

Naminé blushed a little and wrote in her notebook again.

_Thank you._

"You're welcome," Roxas answered when he read it. He stared at Naminé's drawing again. "Wow," he said again. "It's really great. I can't draw something like this."

_Do you feel better now?_

"Yeah, a lot. Thanks a bunch, Naminé. You're a big help."

_Sure. This is the only way I can make people happy._

"Don't say that. I'm sure there are still other ways for you to make others happy. You may still not know what they are, but I know you'll discover them someday."

_Maybe you're right…_

_Well…_ Naminé thought. _There _are _other ways…_

Minutes passed and the school bell finally rang. Lots of students cheered and began getting out of the room. Sora and Kairi seemed to enjoy each other's company because they didn't seem to hear the bell. Roxas and Naminé watched them, amused. Finally, they couldn't help but chuckle, drawing Sora's and Kairi's attention to them.

"What's wrong with you two?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"Do you guys even know that it's already our break time?" Roxas asked back, ignoring Sora's question.

"Whoa, really?" Sora said, surprised.

Roxas laughed. "See?" he said. "You're enjoying each other's company; you didn't even notice that almost everyone already left the room."

"That only means one thing," Naminé said, smiling.

Sora and Kairi blushed. "W-what?!" Sora stuttered, watching the two blond teenagers chuckle. "Whatever you guys are thinking is _not_ true!"

"Then, tell us what we are thinking," Roxas said, smirking.

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again, not knowing what to say. Roxas continued to smirk. He finally changed the subject. "I wonder what Riku and Xion are doing right now…" he muttered.

"I've already told you," Sora replied, recovering from his embarrassment. "They're having a date." He suddenly saw Riku and Xion coming back to the classroom. "Oh, well. Speak of the devil, looks like they're finally back."

Riku and Xion stopped outside the classroom's door. "I'll show around again after we eat," Riku told the girl. "Is it okay with you?"

Xion nodded in response. "Thanks a lot for showing me around Riku," she said. "I think this school is great. I'm gonna enjoy here."

Riku smiled at her. He noticed something or, rather, _someone_, approaching them. His aqua eyes grew wide in horror. "Oh, no," he muttered.

Xion looked at him in confusion. "What is it?" she asked, turning around to see what Riku was looking at.

The boy didn't seem to hear her. He searched inside the room for Roxas. He saw him talking to Sora. "Roxas!" he exclaimed.

Both Roxas and Sora looked at him. They suddenly smiled. "Hi, Riku," Roxas said. "How's your date?" He and Sora laughed and shared high-fives.

Riku ignored them. "Roxas," he continued. "Yuna's coming!"

"What?!" Roxas exclaimed, standing up, his blue eyes growing wide in surprise and horror.

"What are you waiting for?" Riku asked. "You gotta hide!"

"Yeah, I know about that!" Roxas answered as he ran at the lower right corner of the room and ducked beside an empty chair.

"Who's Yuna?" Xion asked as Riku looked back to the approaching girl.

"Yuna Harrington," Riku answered. She's one of the most famous students here at school. She's like a star, actually. And she likes Roxas. A lot."

"Wow," Xion said in amazement, looking at the approaching Yuna as well. "He's so lucky."

"Unfortunately, he's not," Riku said, matter-of-factly.

"Huh?"

"I'll explain later."

Yuna finally reached the two. "Hi, Riku," she said impatiently. "Is Roxas here?"

"Uh… Hi, Yuna," Riku said. He turned to Xion. "Anyway, this is Xion Williams, a new girl here at school. Xion, this is Yuna Harrington. Like what I had told you, she's one of the famous kids here."

"Actually, it's _most_ famous, Riku," Yuna corrected him smugly, but a bit annoyed.

"Um… right. Sorry about that…"

"It's nice to meet you, Yuna," Xion said with a smile, reaching out a hand for Yuna to shake.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too, Xion," Yuna replied with a fake smile, ignoring Xion's extended hand. She frowned again as she looked back to Riku. "So, Riku, where's Roxas?"

Xion lowered her hand, embarrassed. Riku glanced at her in sympathy. "Well," he began. "He told me that he really needs to ask something to his brother, so he probably went to Ven's classroom."

"Yeah, right," Yuna said, rolling her eyes. "Like I'm going to believe that. Stop hiding him from me. I know he's inside."

_I'm doomed_, Roxas told himself, biting his lower lip.

"No, I'm telling the truth," Riku insisted. "He really went to Ven's room… Right, Xion?"

"Oh… Um, yeah, he went there," Xion agreed when she saw the look in Riku's eyes.

"Really?" Yuna asked suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, really," the boy continued to insist.

_I just hope Bro won't suddenly arrive,_ Roxas thought.

"Hey, Riku!" a very loud, energetic, and familiar voice said.

Roxas, who was still hiding beside the chair, winced at the sound of the voice. "Oh, no," he muttered.

Riku looked tense as he watched Ven approach him. The blond-haired boy was carrying a guitar case in one hand. "Um…" Riku started, glancing at Yuna nervously. "Hi, Ven."

Ven smiled at him. He finally noticed Yuna, who looked irritated. "Hi, Yuna. I didn't notice you're there. What are you doing here? Chatting with… your new friends?" He smiled wider after saying this, hoping that he said the right words. _Of course she's here to see Roxas, you idiot,_ he told himself. _And there's no way she'll befriend them_.

Yuna looked more irritated than before. "Sorry, but they're not my friends," she said, matter-of-factly. She looked at Riku and Xion suspiciously. "Anyway, Ven, Riku told me that Roxas went to your room to ask you something. I just wanna know if he really went there."

Ven looked at Riku, expecting him to explain. Riku looked back to him, telling him to just play along. Ven instantly got his message. "Yeah," he finally answered. "He went there to ask me to bring his guitar here, because he still needs to go to our school supplies store to buy a… uh…" he started snapping his fingers. "What do you call that?" he muttered to himself. _Darn it! I can't think of anything,_ he thought.

"A red pen?" Riku muttered absent-mindedly.

"Yeah!" Ven suddenly exclaimed, snapping his fingers loudly and making Riku surprised. "A red pen."

Roxas slapped his forehead when he heard this. "Oh, brother," he said.

"Because today's the checking of our examination papers, right?" Ven continued. "So, all of us need red pens, and unfortunately, Roxas forgot his at home, so he gotta buy one. He's really forgetful, y'know?" Ven glanced nervously inside the classroom, hoping that Roxas didn't hear him.

But unfortunately, his younger brother did. "What the –" Roxas said, a bit annoyed.

Yuna looked a bit surprised. "Really?" she asked with a bit of suspicion.

"Do you really think I'm going to lie to you?" Ven said in a convincing tone. "Of course, I won't. You _are_, after all, the most famous here."

Yuna smiled a bit. "Okay," she said, sounding convinced. She began to walk away. "I guess I don't need to see him at all."

"Bye, Yuna!" Ven called after her, but she didn't seem to care. Ven, Riku, and Xion watched her walk away. When she was finally out of sight, the two boys sighed in relief.

"That's a close one," Riku said.

"Yeah," Ven agreed. "Looks like Roxas owed me a big one." He suddenly noticed Xion, who was watching him and Riku. "Hey, you're Xion, right? Ramza and Isilud's cousin? I forgot to introduce myself." He reached out his free hand to her. "Name's Ventus Elliots, but I'd rather be called Ven. It sounds way cooler than Ventus, if you ask me. I'm one of your cousins' close friends."

"Elliots?" Xion asked as she shook Ven's hand. "You're Roxas' brother? Wow, now I know why he looks familiar. You're the one I saw before. You two really look alike."

"Yeah, a lot of people say that," Ven replied with a smile. "But I'm still the cuter one. Well, speaking of Roxas, isn't it already time for him to get out of his –" he spoke louder so Roxas could hear him. "– _hiding place_?"

Roxas finally stood up with an annoyed look and started marching towards his brother. Ven smirked while he watched him. Xion watched them in amazement. "They _do _look alike," she whispered to Riku, who nodded in agreement.

Roxas crossed his arms. "So," he began. "I'm 'really forgetful', huh?"

"Wow," Ven said, surprised. "I really hoped that you didn't hear me, but, unfortunately, it looks like you _did_."

"Ha," Roxas started, still annoyed. "For your information, my sense of hearing is really sharp. What was _that_ about, anyway?"

"Dude, you want her to avoid you, right?" Ven asked. Roxas nodded. "Well, one way for a girl to avoid a guy is to know his disadvantages. Having lots of pride, being very lazy or stubborn, and many more."

"But I'm not forgetful," Roxas complained.

"But she doesn't know about it," Ven shot back. Roxas didn't say another word. "If you really wanted to avoid a girl, sometimes you need to lie." He smiled. "Come on, trust me. I'm the expert here."

"Yeah, right," Roxas said, rolling his eyes while Riku and Xion laughed. "And who told you you're the cuter one between the two of us?"

Ven thought for a while. "Hmm…" He shrugged and grinned. "Me?" he said, making Roxas slap his forehead.

"You really must be having a great time together," Xion said.

"Yeah, very much," Ven said, smirking at his younger brother.

"For him, yes," Roxas joked. "Because he always bullies me."

"Don't believe him," Ven told the new girl.

Riku and Xion laughed again. "Anyway, Ven," Riku said. "Yuna's really hard to convince, but it looks like it's too easy for you. How did you do that?"

"Just tell her what she wanted to hear," Ven said knowingly. "That she's the most famous here in school."

"Whoa," Xion said in amazement. "You sure know a lot."

"Like what I said, I'm an expert," Ven joked smugly, making Roxas roll his eyes again.

"Yeah," Riku suddenly said, smiling. "And the most famous student here in school."

"Hey, you don't have to say that," Ven reacted while Xion looked at him in amazement. "'Cause I'm not."

"Okay, okay, I'm only kidding," Riku said with a laugh. "Xion and I will leave you guys alone so you can talk."

"But, we're already talking," Roxas said jokingly. Ven grinned and gave him a high-five.

"Right," Riku answered as he and Xion entered the room. "Nice one, Roxas."

Roxas smiled as he and Ven watched them go to their seats. "So," Ven began, making Roxas turn his attention to him. "How are your exams?"

"As always," Roxas said, matter-of-factly. "Pretty low, but I still passed. And you?"

Ven shrugged. "Perfect scores, as always," he said.

"I already expected that."

"Because I'm an expert?"

"… Yeah."

They had a little laugh. "New sitting arrangement?" Ven finally asked. Roxas nodded. "I knew it. That's always been Ms. Oaks' style. Where's your seat?"

Roxas pointed at the empty chair at the back of the room. "I only have one seatmate," he told his brother.

Ven looked at the direction Roxas was pointing. It was an empty seat next to Naminé, who was talking to Sora and Kairi. "Naminé's your seatmate?" he asked Roxas, surprised.

"Yes," Roxas answered. "You know her?"

"Of course I know her," Ven said. He saw the surprised look on Roxas' face. "What? Haven't I told you? We're team mates for the Math Quiz Bee last year. And we beat Radiant Garden High School because of her. Well, I helped her out too, of course." He turned back to the blond girl. "Hey, Naminé!"

Naminé looked up when she heard someone call her name. She looked surprised when she saw Ven smiling at her. Smiling back to him, she waved a little.

Roxas watched them in surprise. "Whoa," he finally said. "I didn't know about that." He looked at his brother. "And you didn't tell me anything about you and Naminé being team mates before."

"Really?" Ven asked. "I didn't?" He suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I just came here to return your guitar." He handed the guitar case to Roxas. "I forgot it in the classroom yesterday, right? So, I'm gonna return it to you now."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Roxas said as he took it from Ven. "I kept on borrowing Hayner's this morning."

"Sorry about that," Ven apologized. He changed the subject. "Ramza's roaming around this morning, huh?"

"Yeah," Roxas answered. "He told us to wait for the Music Club's announcement. Boy, I had high hopes that he's going to tell us what it is. But he didn't even give us clue."

"That's our president," Ven said with a laugh. "He might be a joker, but he still has his _former_ serious side, of course. He and Isilud were so serious before. But when we became friends, I guess they learned from me that they should also have fun."

"You're a big influence to them, huh?"

"Yup. And I'm proud of it."

The two of them laughed, but deep inside, Roxas suddenly remembered about his conversation with Ven that morning. _Should I tell him?_ He asked himself. _Should I tell him that I didn't join because of him?_

Ven noticed his brother's sudden silence. "Hey," he said worriedly, putting a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Roxas came back from his senses. "Huh?" he said, looking at his brother. He saw the concern in Ven's eyes. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure about that?" Ven asked to make sure. Roxas just nodded, but he knew that he wasn't telling the truth. "Alright, then. I gotta go back. I can't be late for the next subject. Just tell me if you're not feeling good, okay?"

Roxas nodded. Ven gave him one final concerned look. He suddenly smiled. "Okay," he said as he began to turn away. "I'll see you later, then."

"Right," Roxas muttered. Ven began to walk away. _It's now or never,_ he told himself. Taking a deep breath, he called his brother. "Hey, bro."

Ven looked back to him, still smiling. "Yeah?"

"Um…" Roxas hesitated. "About what we talked about this morning…"

Ven's smile faded away. "Oh," he said. "That."

Roxas bowed his head to look at the ground and avoid Ven's eyes. There was silence between the two of them. "So," Ven started. "Is that the reason why you became quiet all of a sudden?"

Roxas nodded, still looking at the ground. Ven nodded a little, understanding his brother. Roxas glanced up to him. "You wanna know why I didn't join the Music Club, right?" he finally asked. He looked back to the ground. "It's because –"

"Forget it," he heard his elder brother say.

"Huh?" Roxas said, looking up.

Ven was smiling once again. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me," he said. "I may not know why you suddenly become tense when I ask you about it, but you don't have to worry about it. I don't mind at all. Keep it a secret, if you want. It's really alright with me. You know the saying, right? 'Let bygones be bygones.' So don't worry about it anymore, okay?"

"Okay," Roxas said.

"What's with the long face?" Ven said when he noticed that Roxas wasn't still happy. "Come on, just forget about it. Smile, just like me."

Roxas finally smiled and nodded. Ven smiled wider. "I'll see you later," he said, saluting his younger brother as he started to turn around and walk back to his own room.

"Right," Roxas answered, walking back inside the classroom.

When Ven was finally sure that his brother was out of sight, his smile faded away. He put his hands inside his pockets and sighed. "Who am I kidding?" he muttered, glancing back to Roxas' room. "Of course it still bothers me… especially now that I have a feeling that he didn't join because of _me_…"

* * *

**Song used in this Chapter: **_Running Away_ by Jesse McCartney =D

Gee, I can't believe it. Another long chapter, I guess. Even longer than the previous one. This chapter's 13 pages long in MS Word, while the third one is 12 pages…

I like the song_ Running Away _a lot. I think it's one of my theme songs, just like Roxas… Plus, Jesse McCartney sang it… =D

Oh, well. Next chapter's finally the Music Club's announcement! At first I had decided to include that in this chapter, but I realized it's gonna be longer… Watch out for it!

Okay, that's all. I hope you enjoyed reading this! Until next time! =)


	5. Chapter Five: Most Awaited Announcement

Geez, I should have passed this last week, but because of some stupid schoolwork (I'm only kidding about schoolwork being stupid. Apologies for those who love school, and, maybe even teachers =D), I didn't. So, I'm really sorry for the late update. I'll try my best to type my stories if I have some free time.

Yeah, I changed my penname from namixasvenkhfan to Ven Hardy. A lot of people had a hard time reading my previous penname, so I changed it to a simple one. Plus, I love Ven and the Hardy Boys a lot! Especially Frank! =D

Okay! I'm going to answer questions from some reviewers. For those who wanted to know if I got the idea of Naminé writing everything she wanted to say from Megumi Yamamoto of Special A: no, I didn't. Actually, I already had that idea even before I watched Special A and before it was even aired in our country.

For the question about why Naminé was afraid to talk out loud, I guess the answer will be in this chapter. Please just read it to find out. =)

Well, I guess some questions were finally answered. I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites or alerts. Here it is, everyone! Chapter Five! Enjoy! =D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its characters. And I never will. All I own is this story…

* * *

_**CHAPTER FIVE: THE MOST-AWAITED ANNOUNCEMENT**_

Time seemed to flow very fast. Nothing really happened during class hours. The students just corrected their exams and did whatever they like. Roxas didn't seem to be satisfied about his scores. He almost failed most of them. Every time they were finished checking, Roxas played his guitar and sang quietly to forget about his disappointment.

Naminé and Sora even switched places so they could talk to their friends. Like always, Naminé got perfect scores from her exams, but she still looked sad, making Roxas wonder about it even more.

"So," Sora told Roxas the moment he sat on Naminé's armchair. "Looks like you and Naminé are finally close."

"_A bit_ close, actually," Roxas corrected him as he put his guitar down. "She's writing everything she wanted to say, but it's still better than nothing, right?"

"Don't worry about it," Sora answered confidently. "That's the way she communicate with others, especially to those she really like a lot."

"Meaning?" Roxas said, hoping that what he's thinking was right.

"Meaning she's slowly opening up to you," Sora said with a smile.

Roxas sighed in relief while Sora chuckled. "Good job, dude," he acknowledged his friend, patting him on the shoulder.

Music, Roxas' favorite subject, finally came. Though he knew that he answered all of the questions with ease, Roxas couldn't help but feel nervous. He feared that he might get a wrong answer in the Music exam, which never happened to him. That was the only subject he's really good at, besides English.

The checking started, with Roxas feeling more and more nervous. After Ms. Lockhart read each question, he whispered the answers to himself, proving that he knew them.

When it was finally time to return the papers, he waited, drumming his desk with his fingers. He glanced at Naminé's paper and saw that she got another perfect score, making him more nervous to see his.

Finally, someone gave it back to him. Taking a deep breathe, he stared down at it.

Fifty out of fifty.

"Yes!" he whispered to himself in delight, clenching his fist.

Sora and Riku saw this. "Hmm…" Riku started. "I wonder what Roxas' reaction will be when he didn't get a perfect score?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sora joked. "He'll definitely freak out and go wild!"

"Yeah, right," Roxas answered while Naminé, Kairi, and Xion giggled.

"Anyone got a perfect score?" Ms. Lockhart suddenly asked.

No one raised their hands except Roxas and Naminé. Ms. Lockhart smiled at them. "I already expected you two to raise your hands," she said. "I assume you're already excited for the announcement, aren't you, Roxas?"

"Uh, yeah," Roxas responded, scratching his head and not knowing what to say. "Kinda, I guess…"

"But he's really excited about it," Sora muttered, but Roxas still heard him and gave him a "shut up" look.

Ms. Lockhart smiled even more. "Okay!" she told the class. "One more hour and you'll finally know what the announcement is. I'm just hoping you'll like it."

"Can you give us at least one clue, Ms. Lockhart?" Pence said out loud.

The other students agreed with him. The teacher looked surprised for while. Suddenly, she smiled slyly. "Okay…" she said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt if I tell you a clue…"

Some students cheered. Roxas sat up straight when he heard this, eager to listen. Ms. Lockhart became serious. "My clue is…" she began. Everyone looked at her expectantly, even Naminé. Her sly smile came back. "It's related to our Music subject."

The students groaned in disappointment. "Thanks for telling us the most obvious thing," Hayner muttered sarcastically while Ms. Lockhart laughed.

"Of course, I can't tell you what it is," she said. "I'm the head of the Music Club, after all. Just wait for it. It will be really fun." She got out of the door. "See you on Monday, everyone!"

"Gee, I really thought she'll say what it is," Riku said as everyone discussed about the said announcement.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, crossing his arms. "But Ms. Lockhart's still right. One hour is not a long wait at all."

"You're right about that," Roxas joined in. "But only if you're busy doing something."

"Then sing a song," Riku answered.

"But… doesn't his throat hurt already?" Kairi asked. "He's been singing for almost the whole day."

"Nah, I don't think so," Sora said, smirking at Roxas. "Roxas is not that type of guy. He's a music lover, so it's not a problem for him to sing all day."

"Plus, he's singing in a soft voice," Naminé suddenly added in a mutter.

"Yeah, you're right about that, cousin."

In just a few minutes, they checked their English exams. Roxas got yet another perfect that Riku switched places with Naminé so he could talk to his two friends. "Get ready, Roxas," Riku said. "In just a few minutes, we'll finally know what this 'announcement' is."

"Yeah," Roxas answered. "I can't wait anymore."

"Hmm…" Sora began, thinking of another topic. He suddenly smiled at Riku. "Hey, Riku. How's your 'date' with Xion?"

"What do you mean by that?" Riku exclaimed while Roxas rubbed his forehead and shook his head in disbelief. Sometimes, Sora could be too straightforward about something.

"Okay, okay, I'm only kidding," Sora explained with a laugh. "How's your… um… _time_ with Xion?" He looked at his blond friend. "Is that better?"

Roxas just nodded as Riku thought for a while. "Well, I just showed her around, that's all," he said. "We talked about some things like her old hometown and stuff like that." He suddenly glared at Sora. "You can't call that a _date_."

"I kind of agree with you there, Riku," Roxas interrupted. He smiled all of a sudden. "And to make everything fair and square, I'll tell you what happened to Sora and Kairi while you're gone."

Riku sat up straight. "Okay, spill it," he said, a bit excited.

Sora gaped at the two of them. "Darn it, Roxas," he muttered.

"During recess," Roxas started. "He and Kairi didn't even notice that it was already our break time. You wanna know why? It's because they were busy talking to each other."

"Nice," Riku said, smirking at Sora, who was beginning to blush.

"You'll pay for this, Roxas," the brown-haired boy said, glaring at his friend.

Meanwhile, the girls were chatting as well. To make things better, Naminé even started talking to Xion. "Wow," Xion said. "You have a nice voice, Naminé. Why aren't you talking to anyone?"

"Well…" Naminé began with hesitation.

Kairi came to rescue her friend. "She has a secret, actually," she interrupted.

"Oh… I think I know what it is," Xion said with a smile.

Naminé and Kairi looked at her in surprise. Xion smiled wider. "You see, I can easily tell what a person's secret is," she continued. "But don't worry. I don't tell those secrets to other people, so I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you, Xion," Naminé said, smiling.

A few minutes later, the school bell rang. Everyone cheered and got out of the room quickly, except the class officers. Being the treasurer of the class, Roxas had no other choice but to stay, together with Riku, Naminé (the class secretary), and some other students. Xion even stayed to help them. "It's okay with me," she explained. "I love cleaning very much!"

Roxas erased the board absent-mindedly. He was thinking really hard about the Music Club's announcement. He couldn't wait anymore to know what it is. _Looks like I gotta wait a bit longer_, he told himself. _I just have to finish my work first…_

Without even knowing it, the eraser he was holding bumped onto another one. This drew him back to his senses. He looked at the other eraser, shifted his eyes to the person holding it, and was surprised to see…

"Sora?" Roxas finally said in disbelief. His friend was not an officer and never liked cleaning, so it surprised him to see Sora standing beside him, eraser in hand, and cleaning the board.

The brown-haired boy grinned at him. "I'll take care of this," he told Roxas. "I know you're really excited about that announcement, so go."

"But –" Roxas complained.

"No more buts," Sora interrupted. "Would you rather have me push you out of this room?"

There was silence between the two friends. Roxas finally smiled. "Thanks, dude," he said, making Sora smile back to him. He quickly ran to his chair, grabbed his bag, and got out of the room.

His friends watched him, with Sora still smiling. "Now _that's_ a real music lover," Riku said out loud. Xion nodded in agreement.

* * *

Roxas stopped running, catching his breath. He looked up and a crowd right in front of the bulletin board. He tried to see what was on it, but failed. He sighed in defeat. "Looks like I'm still going to wait," he said out loud with a laugh.

He waited and waited. The crowd decreased slowly. He was about to give up and go home when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What's up?" a familiar voice said. "Haven't you seen it yet?"

He looked up and saw Ven. "Bro," he muttered.

"Hmm…" Ven started, observing his younger brother. He smiled. "Looks like you still haven't." He put an arm around his shoulders and walked with him towards the crowd. "Come on.

"Okay! Okay!" he shouted to the crowd. "Make way, make way! Someone's coming through!"

The people got out of the way while they passed. Finally, Roxas saw the poster. MUSICAL FESTIVAL, the title read.

Roxas looked at Ven blankly. "What's so special about it?" he asked.

Ven responded by pushing his brother's face away so he could face the poster again. "Read it," he ordered.

Roxas did. Some of them were the usual stuff. But what really caught his attention was about a musical play.

"Holy…" he muttered as he continued to stare at the note. Ven smirked.

"They're looking for music composers," his elder brother explained. "About five compositions will be chosen. Anyone who wants to join can make one or two music compositions. And they can team-up with anyone so it won't be that hard for them."

"Yeah, I know," Roxas answered. "Everything you're saying's written here."

Ven laughed. "Well, I just thought you might don't understand some of the details," he said.

They got out of the crowd. "So," the older blond boy continued. "Are you gonna team-up with someone?"

"I think I will," Roxas said. "I may be a composer, but it will really help if I'm working with someone."

"Well," his brother said with a smile. "You can always audition –"

"What?" Roxas exclaimed. "Whoa, whoa, wait a sec, Bro. I'm not an actor like you, so no way! And I'll never audition for any role. Ever."

"I'm not yet finished," Ven demanded. "What I was trying to say is you can always audition as an extra."

Roxas stared at him blankly. Ven sighed, a bit annoyed. "You don't need to audition if you're an extra," he explained.

"Oh," Roxas said, surprised. "Maybe I will, but I'll still think about it."

They both watched the crowd for a while. Roxas could hardly believe that a lot of people were quite interested in Music, too. He was surprised to see Seifer and his two friends, Rai, and Fuu. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were there too. The moment Roxas saw Yuna, he hid behind his elder brother. Luckily, Yuna didn't see him and thought that Ven was Roxas. She waved and smiled at Ven instead. Ven couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief. "Do we _really_ look alike?" he finally told Roxas when Yuna and friends walked away from the crowd and Roxas got out of his hiding place.

"I guess so," Roxas answered. He saw Ven raised his brow at him in disbelief. "But, don't worry, you're more good-looking than me," he finally added in defeat, knowing that those were the words his brother wanted to hear.

Ven laughed, patting Roxas on the back, which almost made the younger blond boy fall. "Thanks a lot, Rox," he said thankfully. "You're the best brother ever."

"Yeah, right," Roxas muttered so Ven could not hear him. "That's because I'm the only brother you have."

He continued to watch the crowd and saw Aqua and Terra watching as well. They both waved at him while he smiled at them. Ven even muttered to him that he left the two so they could have some more time alone, making Roxas chuckle. He saw lots of familiar faces like Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Naminé.

_Wait a sec,_ he told himself in surprise. _Naminé?_

He stared at the girl even more. Blond hair, white long-sleeved shirt, a long skirt, and a pair of eyeglasses… It was definitely Naminé. Roxas began to walk towards her. Without a warning, he heard Ven say, "Where are you going?"

He turned his head to him. "Huh?" he started. "I thought I just saw someone. I just I gotta make sure if it's really her."

"Okey-dokey," Ven said.

As Roxas turned once again, he saw that Naminé was gone. He looked around him, but there was no trace of any blond-haired girl anywhere. Sighing in defeat and annoyance, he cursed under his breath as he turned to his brother again.

"Did you see her?" Ven asked. Roxas shook his head. "That's too bad. Who were you looking for, anyway?"

"Never mind me," Roxas murmured.

"O… kay," Ven answered, not sure what to say. "Well, let's go home."

Roxas nodded, following him. When they got out of the school gate, he finally spoke up. "Terra and Aqua are not yet going home?" he asked.

"Nah," Ven replied. "The Dance Troupe has a practice for the Music Festival. You know those two. They're the 'Dancing Duo'. While me..." He laughed proudly. "I'm the 'Sole Singer'!"

"Right," Roxas muttered, rolling his eyes. Among the Trinity, Ven was the only one who was good in singing, while Terra and Aqua were good in dancing.

Ven cleared his throat. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?" Roxas asked.

"About the music composing contest thing. What do you think about it?"

"Well… I was… really surprised, and happy, I guess…"

"You'd better be," Ven said with a laugh. "I was the one who suggested it." He put an arm around Roxas' shoulders. "You see? That's how much I love you, little brother."

"Whatever," Roxas exclaimed, taking his arm off of him and walking faster to hide his smile from Ven.

In a few minutes, they were finally home. Mrs. Elliots asked them about their day. "I learned a new joke," Ven announced proudly.

"Oh really? That's great," Roxas said lazily, figuring out that it was a corny one again. He stood up from his chair. "I'm out of here, I don't wanna hear it."

"Oh, come on, Rox!" he heard his brother say as he grabbed his bag and guitar and went upstairs to change his clothes. The moment he arrived in his room, he closed the windows and locked the door. As he changed into his T-shirt and pants, his mind was focused on the voice he heard while he was singing that morning. What if the owner of the voice was good in music too? What if she, the owner, can help him?

When he was completely dressed up, he opened the window again and unlocked the door. He sat on his bed, took out his guitar, and began playing it. He hummed, focusing his mind on the guitar and the piece he was playing ("I Gotta Find You" by Joe Jonas). He heard footsteps coming from Ven's room. He stopped playing, waiting for him to enter. Ven peeked inside. "What?" he asked. Roxas just stared at him. "Keep going. That's one of my favorite songs."

Roxas shook his head in disbelief, but he continued. He even heard Ven singing softly as he entered the room and sat beside him. They both started nodding their heads to the rhythm. Roxas even started to sing along. It's been a while since he and his brother had a jam session because of their schoolwork.

When Roxas was finally finished playing the guitar, Ven spoke up. "So," he began. "You're looking for someone?"

Roxas, who was returning his guitar on its case, stopped and looked at his brother in surprise. "How did you know?"

Ven smirked. "Big brother's instincts," he replied.

"Well…" Roxas hesitated. He nodded and told his elder brother the whole story. Ven nodded in understanding while listening to him, sometimes saying "Okay", "Uh-huh", and "Go on."

"Hmm…" Ven said when Roxas finished, thinking hard. He smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Follow your heart, Roxas. If you want to find her, then find her. Who knows, maybe you _will_."

"Yeah," Roxas agreed, smiling back. "You're right. Thanks a lot, Big Bro."

"Don't mention it," Ven replied, patting him on the shoulder. "And remember this: Everything I say _always_ comes true. Don't ever forget about that."

* * *

I had a hard time deciding if they should compose music or just make a song. But I really suck in poetry, so I just decided that they should compose a music piece…

Another crappy chapter. I'm really sorry about it. I think I'm beginning to suck in writing now. Probably because I don't have enough time to think now and because I'm totally stressed out about schoolwork… and, maybe (just MAYBE) also because of the stress of my parents wanting me to take up Nursing instead of Creative Writing… =( I was even thinking to stop writing because of all this stuff… But don't worry, I won't! For the sake of everyone who like my stories. Plus, writing is one of the few things which makes me happy! =D

Well, anyway, enough the drama! As you can see, I wrote some "brother bonding" in this chapter because that was the way I imagined of having a caring big brother. I'm the oldest, actually. I was supposed to be the second child, but my supposable big brother died when he was still a baby. And, right now, I only have a younger sister. So, I guess I just wanted to feel how it's like to have a kind, caring, and understandable big bro. =)

Alright! I think I'm becoming dramatic again, so I'll finish this author's note right away! If you have any comments, complaints, questions, and maybe even criticisms (just joking! =D), just review. And, that's it for Chapter Five! Thanks a lot for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed!


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